Saturday morning had me wanting more sleep, but my desire to do yoga won out. To be fair, yoga's really relaxing for me. It's like stretch-massaging. Our instructor's name is Trudy. She's in her late 60's with grey dreadlocks down to her bum and the flexibility of a baby. It's quite impressive. She says stuff like "... bring it to the point where the stretch is just delicious" and every time she says "delicious" I picture the old lady from Patch Adams who swam in a pool of noodles saying it. Here's a YouTube video of her on Scrubs (she must like medical shows) and the way she says "comfortable" is the way Trudy says "delicious". I laugh a bit every time (it activates my core more). Anyways, after a delicious 1:20 followed by a 10 minute nap where I was supposed to imagine being on my favourite beach, I did some grocery shopping, showered, and then Skyped with mom & dad. They're prepping the house to sell, so if you know someone looking for a house in Sunshine Hills, North Delta, BC then you should check it out.
It was a great place to grow up - a 10 minute walk to Cougar Canyon Elementary and a 15 minute walk to Seaquam Secondary. After school, you'd walk home, get your gear, walk up the hill to the "flat" road in front of the O'Connors' and play street hockey 'til it was time to go home. In the summer, we'd play Sardines or Broken Dishes, or have a water fight all along that stretch of Summit Crescent. Seriously, it was an awesome place to grow up. The Pelats on Hyland, the Johals in the cul-de-sac, and Mrs. Douglas' house at the far corner where you'd get Fruit Roll-ups on Halloween. So many landmarks. It'll be weird when I return to BC in December and end up staying in a brand new house where I have no memories. I won't be able to pull into the driveway and think "That's where Rachael, Kevin, and I made ridiculous home videos" because there won't be a driveway. I won't be able to think "That's where I swam without water wings for the first time and also where I found a dead rabbit floating 15 years later" because there won't be a pool. I won't miss the Delta house itself because I haven't lived there for over 5 years, but I'll miss the memory markers.
After a quick Skype session, I ate lunch, made dinner plans with Rachel, and then headed to the Annex to hit the books. At 6:30, I made my way to Jenner Hall (the "barn") where Rachel was studying. She had spent the majority of the day with one of the clubs doing a clinic for the Kalingo people in the Carib Territory. It was great to hear about her experience and definitely affirmed my decision to join next semester. We walked to Bob's for some Chinese food. It was great to sit down and talk with her one-on-one. I feel like we're constantly robbed of that kind of time. We're either interrupted or we're with other people who are waiting for us to stop talking so that both parties can go on their merry way. So yes, Saturday dinner was wonderful and refreshing. Rachel's a down to earth person, and like I've said before, keeps in line with all the other Rachel/Rachaels I've had the privilege of knowing. Despite the fact that we hardly know each other and haven't had much time together, it's incredibly effortless to talk with her. It's almost like talking with a friend from home, except for the part at the end of our time while I was walking her back to the barn:
Kirsten: "...it was like 2 meters"
Rachel: "Excuse me?"
Kirsten: "I'm sorry, 2 yards?"
Rachel: "No"
Kirsten: "6 and a half feet?"
Rachel: "Much better"
Kirsten: "WE'RE ALL METRIC EXCEPT FOR YOU!!!"
Rachel laughs knowing it's the truth, but also knowing that it doesn't change a damn thing
After seeing Rachel safely to her study spot, I headed to Candyce's place. Malini texted me earlier to let me know they were doing dinner there, so I figured I'd pop by and say hi. New York Joey is Candyce's neighbour so he was there being New York, and then Tanja came by later on. Tanja's from Chicago and is so far the only American that cares a bit about hockey. Granted, we don't talk about hockey much because we'll argue about each others' team. It's kind of ironic because the people I choose to badmouth are actually Canadian (Bolland, Keith, & Seabrook) and of course people aren't fans of our American (Kesler). To be fair, I really dislike Kane and he's American, but that's not because of how he plays, just how he treated one cab driver. Chris constantly mocks my love for hockey even though according to him, Florida's hockey teams sell out more than their other sports teams. Anyways, we all had a fun time chatting and watching YouTube videos of Ross students impersonating Ross professors. Some of them are spot on, most of them are of profs we haven't seen yet. Then Harper, Tanja, and I walked home together and then bedtime.
I naturally woke up at 7, but insisted on going back to sleep until my 9:45 alarm went off. My body definitely appreciated the extra hours of rest. Sunday was probably the first day in a while where I felt well rested. The message was brought to us by an upper semester student named Silas. The music was led by one of the girls in the "gospel" choir. The closing song was a two-in-one with it ending with the bridge of "With Everything". I kind of had a chuckle to myself because of what I had posted two weeks ago. As soon as I saw the first line of the bridge and knowing the gospel/charismatic roots our leader had, I knew we were going to do the full bridge verbatim, complete with the long "Woah" part that's reminiscent of the beginning of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up". Definitely couldn't keep singing without laughing. Lunch on the Subway deck as per usual where I chatted with a few upper semesters and got some advice about the massive amounts of dry material we just learned last week. Then home for a quick shower and then to the annex.
KFC's last day in business was Sunday so I figured I'd have my dinner there since it's just down the hill from the Annex. It was super busy, naturally. It's like when McDonald's is about to stop serving the Shamrock Shake, you go there and get the largest size even though you feel like crap afterward. I quickly scarfed down a couple pieces of original recipe chicken (which essentially slid down due to all the grease) and then headed back to the annex where I downed about a litre of water to help me feel better. I should note that there's a weird phenomena that happens at the bathrooms by the annex. When the late evening hits, flying ants pull a Heaven's Gate and commit mass suicide in the toilets and sinks. So when nature calls (for humans), you check each stall to see which one doesn't have ants in or around it. In this instance it was the very last stall. I went in, locked the door, and proceeded to drop trou only to make eye contact with a lizard on the wall. The door had hid it, such that closing the door exposed my stoic friend. So there I was, standing half naked, having a staring contest with a lizard. It felt like he was saying "Well, are you just going to stand there?" which was essentially the same thing I was thinking to him. And then I did the slow dance to the bowl and had the awkward moment of having to "perform" in front of a very captive reptilian audience. I don't think I've had longer uninterrupted eye contact with a person than I had with my cold blooded companion. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience that I'm hoping won't happen again. It felt like time stood still. It felt like he was silently judging me. I guess it could have been worse, he could have jumped at me. Then again, I could have screamed and scared it away...*facepalm* I ended up staying at the annex 'til 12:30 before heading home.
Monday was a holiday for Dominica and the States, so we didn't have class. Again, I woke up at 7 naturally. I think it's the sunlight that pierces through my thin curtains. So I put an eye mask on (which I normally use on airplanes) and slept 'til 9. Leisurely breakfast, shower, early lunch, and then got my studying on in the annex. RCF was hosting a 1st Semester Mixer at 6 on campus so I headed there around 5:45. Dinner was provided and free food is always awesome. The usual suspects were there. Angela was also there so I talked with her because we hadn't seen each other in a while. It's been weeks since I've seen Kim & Yezi as well. We live on opposite sides of town, sit on opposite sides in class, and study in different locations. So it was good to see her and quickly catch up. After dinner, they had some upper semesters share their advice with a Christian perspective. Most of what you hear from upper semesters is the same: preview, keep up with your study products, review, do practice questions. MOTS is the acronym that I use to describe the situation - More Of The Same. I learned it from Peter Krause. I've learned many things from that wonderful man. Gems like "If you mean to say the word, then say it. Don't replace it with 'frickin'" A whole new kind of freedom entered my life that day. Nonetheless, I still choose my words wisely (and know that who I'm around matters). Anyways, the advice we got was MOTS and then they'd throw in the God stuff at the end. Pray. He placed you here for a reason. Don't forget Him. All very valid and good points. After an interactive game, we were done. Chris and I headed back to the annex to study and then I headed home around 10:30.
Last night was probably the best sleep I've had in a while. I didn't wake up once in the middle of the night. It was solid dream sleep. Classes were pretty good too: anatomy, genetics, and then histology. The histology was the worst part, but I like anatomy and I did my major in genetics. So it was nice. Headed home to have lunch and preview for tomorrow's lectures. Then I headed to campus for lab demo followed by lab dissection. The demo was on the brachial plexus which is something you need to know quickly. I can draw and label all 16 nerves in about 30 seconds. Of course while that may be handy, seeing it on a human being proves to be harder to decipher. I went around to a few bodies so that I could get used to the variation. Today we further dissected the arm, isolating the anterior & posterior muscles with their arteries, veins, and nerves. We've got a solid group that does some incredibly clean work. I was just the reader today, providing directions to our dissectors, but we all got our hands dirty helping each other out. Like I said, good crew. Nobody's lazy, it's awesome. After lab, I went to a Study Skills Workshop where I wasted an hour on MOTS. So I quickly grabbed some dinner, and headed home to have my laundry picked up by my laundry lady Martha. She's good. If she picks up the laundry in the morning it's done by the evening. If she picks it up in the evening, it's delivered before I leave for classes. After she picked up my laundry, I headed to the annex where I am now finishing this blog post.
Let me just say that it's been great hearing from all of those who have commented or messaged me. Two-way conversations are the best and obviously a blog makes things very one-sided. So reading your emails and whatnot has been wonderful. I'm feeling less homesick and more confident in Dominica and I can't thank you enough for all your support. Most recently, I've been welling up with pride as I look at grad pics. They all look so grown up and as a former youth leader, every time our youth graduate you feel a bit like a parent. You realize how lucky you've been to be a part of an important time in their life and it reaffirms you that all effort you made was worth it.
Anyways, I've got time for a couple more good hours of studying and I better use them.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Friday, 25 May 2012
Putting Names to Faces
We have officially entered the rainy season. Dominica has two seasons, rainy and dry. Saturday was a very rainy day. I woke up for yoga but while I was eating breakfast, I realized that I didn't want to walk through the rain and do yoga in wet clothes or in a location where I would continue to deal with the rain. So I took an extended breakfast and relaxed at home, ate an early lunch, then headed to the annex to study. Chris and I made plans to go to the small group together which is at the Loys' house. RCF said to meet at the main gate at 5:45 and then you'd all walk up to the house. The house is close to Champs. Champs lies at the top of a steep hill. So Chris and I waited at the gate and didn't see anyone. We started questioning if small group was starting this weekend or not. Around 5:55, we thought we'd head to the library to check our email to find out the exact details. On our way, we crossed paths with Jackie who is with RCF. Jackie said that people rarely meet at the gate at 5:45 and instead just go to the house, which is confusing because I have no idea how you can accommodate new people that way. Nonetheless, the three of us headed up to the house. It was a great time. We sang a couple songs, and then each of us picked a scripture out of a hat and one by one we read our scripture and talked about our thoughts on it and others put in their two cents as well. I got Galations 5:22-23 which lists the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Shortly before leaving BC, one of our last discussions in youth group revolved around this verse. I was co-leading a group of girls with Mackie and we all shared which areas we were struggling in. I remember being surprised by the variety of answers given by the girls and being kind of heart broken by the fact that our youth are dealing with so much more hardship than previous generations. When I was in youth group (eons ago), my struggle was with patience, faithfulness, and self-control and that was what everybody said back then. But now, we have kids who truly struggle in experiencing joy and peace, who find it hard to love, and be kind and gentle. These are incredibly honest answers and I couldn't be more proud of our youth for that, but as a leader, your heart aches because you realize that these are deep seated things that don't have an easy fix. If you're having trouble being patient, you stop, breathe, think. If you're having trouble being faithful (usually to God), then you make a schedule where you set aside 5 minutes a day to pray or read or whatever. If you're having trouble with self-control, finish your homework before watching TV. But, if you're having trouble with joy, peace, love, kindness, gentleness...what do you say? Be happy, chill out, don't be hatin', don't be a jerk? That's helpful. Anyways, that's what I thought of when I read the verse. We all went around and really had great discussions. There were about 10-15 of us. By about 7:45, we were done and Chris and I left to get back to studying while the rest of them socialized. We were the only first semester students there. I studied 'til 1:00am then headed home.
Woke up, showered, and headed to church on Sunday. The band was actually a full band this time with a bass and electric guitar added in. The worship leader was female, which is always awesome. The music was significantly better than the last couple weeks. Rachel was there so we chatted after the service. Then Chris and I joined some other RCFers at the Subway deck for lunch. Jackie sat next to us and these were his first words "Y'all just met here like two weeks ago, right?" (Jackie's from Georgia). Chris and I said he was correct and he replied "Oh good, 'cause after y'alls left last night, some of the girls asked me how long y'all been married for". Oooooooh Christians...we'll never escape the stereotypes because we propagate them so that they are stereotypes. The good news is that when/if I get married, I'll be considered ancient in Christian years, but normal in normal years. You really shouldn't get me started on the subject of Christians getting married young, I'll likely get very angry. Sometimes I feel that it's my responsibility to let the world know that not all Christians are like that. Anyways, Chris and I had a good laugh about our invisible wedding rings, while freaking out at the same time worrying about how far this rumour has spread (FYI, if I married an American, I'd still spell it "rumour", call it "pop", stay metric, and end my phrases as if they were a question). Studied 'til 10:30, relaxed at home, and went to bed.
Exam day. I set my alarm for 6:45 just so that I would have more time to enjoy breakfast and take the morning nice and easy. I don't like rushing and then writing a test. I much rather prefer being calm and then stressing during the test. It was as hard as was to be expected. A couple questions surprised me, others made me realize which areas I skimmed over (stupid meiosis!), but for the most part, it was reasonable and I felt confident that I didn't ace it, but didn't fail it either.
The exam ended around 9:45. The DJ crew made plans to go to the beach after we'd gone home to relax a bit. I should note that the crew has increased significantly to include: Diana, Janos, Dimal, Kat, Candyce, Malini, and Harper. Regardless, the D & J aspects are still there so I'll continue to refer to them as the DJ crew. Around noon, I was starting to wonder if the beach was still going to happen given that it's been raining for the majority of the day. Malini texted me to inform me that the crew was going to take a nap and then maybe head to the beach. I don't know what most people do at the beach, but one of the things I like to do is nap in the sun. It's like you're multitasking! Anyways, I told her that and then soon after I got a call from her saying that we were going to the beach immediately. Woooo!! The crew split between home nap takers and beach goers. I went to Secret Beach with Malini, Candyce, and Kat. Secret Beach is only accessible by boat. So you need to take a cab to the docks and then a boat to the beach. The ride to the dock was rainfilled, the boat trip to the beach was in a downpour which made for a humourous moment for all of us. But once we got to the beach, clear skies. Perfect timing, perfect day.
Other first semester students were there blowing off steam. Tanja (from the Riverside night) was already there and it happened to be her birthday too. She had been at the beach for a couple hours already and had been taking incoming beachers to see the "underwater" cave. You have to crawl through this tiny crevice with only your head and hands above water. Your hands are up so you don't hit your head on the rock inches above you. Then the cave opens right up so that you can stand in knee-deep water, but you don't dare stand or make a noise because you're in a bat cave. You sit in silence, watch these beautiful winged creatures fly mere feet above you to find a little nestling spot amongst other bats. It was definitely an awesome moment. One that could make you cry because you're living a Planet Earth moment and are continually slapped in the face with how creative God is. And how great was the timing because if the tide was too high, you wouldn't be able to get to the cave unless you had great lung capacity and a headlight. After the cave, we spent the rest of our time enjoying the sun, the water, and the company.
We headed back home in the late afternoon. The plan was to shower, eat, and then head to Champs where essentially 90% of the patrons will be 1st semesters. 7pm hit and I was getting pretty tired, but I don't take evening naps unless it's called sleeping through the night. I called Malini to say that I probably wasn't going to head to Champs and she was adamant about me going, "This was our first mini. You won't get many days where you can do this. YOU'RE COMING!" I obliged and coordinated schedules with Diana as to when we'd head out together. We met up with the crew around 10 and headed up to Champs. It wasn't too busy yet, but the bad techno music was already blaring. As people roll in you start recognizing more faces, give lots of head nods and "Hey, how's it goin?!", and the odd hug to those couple of individuals who are either really friendly or already had a few too many and need a human crutch. Malini has this amazing gift of being so personable and can meet people and remember their name in record time. As I've said before, God didn't bless me with the best memory, so I usually need to learn a person's name at least 5 times before I can remember and put face & name together. Everytime any of the DJ crew drops a name that isn't in the crew, I always say "Wait, who are we talking about?". It's pretty bad. Anyways, Sunday night was a night of practice for me. In my estimations I did well, but if Malini were setting the curve, I'd fail. Practice makes perfect and I've got 'til August 2013 to practice on the entire class. By 11, the place was packed, the music had improved, and good times were had, except for the fact that I really didn't have energy. By 12:30, shortly after the Lakers lost to the Thunder, Dimal, Malini, and I left. Dimal and Malini live in the area so they walked home. I headed to campus so that I could take the 1:00 shuttle home. Bed by 1:30.
Kirsten is grumpy when she doesn't get enough sleep. Kirsten was grumpy on Tuesday and nodded off in lecture, complete with head snapping. Midway through classes, emails were being sent to students from the school. Word spread that these were notification emails that you had received less than 70% on the exam based off of the raw score (before the exam is reviewed for faulty questions or multiple correct responses). I definitely felt nervous and checked my email during every break between lectures and then after classes were over (I feared that emails were being sent out alphabetically and that I would get mine later in the day). I went home, ate lunch, checked the email, found nothing, headed to the annex to study, checked the email, found nothing, headed to main campus for a Canadian Student Society meeting (free dinner and minimal chat), headed to the library, checked the email, found nothing, studied, then it was 10:25, so I packed up, took the shuttle home, and decided in my mind that I had passed the mini.
The alarm woke me up again, meaning my body seems to need more sleep. The first lecture was anatomy followed by three hours of biochem. If there's any subject I hate, it's biochemistry. It's soooo boring. I wanted to leave, I wanted to rip the desk off the ground and hurl it like the Hulk. Finally class was over and I headed home to eat lunch. I received an email from Ross giving me the letters I shaded in on my scantron and then instructions on accessing the answer key. It was tedious but come on, you know I'm going to do the work, I'm pretty sure all of us would have. Furthermore, it was just a 69 question test, so not much work. When all was said and done, I found myself looking at an 80%, which sounded right. I knew I definitely had to guess on a few questions and others I wasn't completely confident in my choice. So I'm content, I know where I need to fill in the gaps and I can move on and prep for the next mini which is on June 11th.
Later in the day, I went to main campus for my first Problem Based Learning session. You're in a group of 8-9 students and are presented with a vignette. Your group has to identify and analyze the data, make some hypotheses, and write out learning objectives that will need further research. We have a facilitator/physician that led our discussion, but over the next few weeks he should be fairly silent and we can propagate the flow. Some people in our group aren't quite comfortable with the format and continually, almost instinctively asked the doctor every question that popped into their head. He obviously can't give us the answers because we're supposed to do the work to answer it ourselves. So immense patience was required on my part. PBL will happen almost every week for the next few semesters. Immense patience indeed. Headed to the library to study, then the DJ crew went to The Usual Spot for dinner. Candyce and I split the panang beef meal. It was huge and spicy. I'm glad we shared. We talked about the mini and classes. After dinner I headed back to the library with Candyce and Malini to keep working 'til 10:30 and then I headed home.
Thursday was a standard day of classes. I had a lab demo at 1, so lunch had to be quick and then out the door I go. The group that was demoing were showing us the nerves and arteries feeding into the anterior thoracic region, meaning they had to remove the breasts on our cadaver in order to reveal the pectoral muscles. We recently had lectures about breast cancer and may I just say, mammograms freak me out. I do not look forward to having one, not that there's much to squish, but still gahhh! Anyways, it was a bit odd to see our cadaver's breasts set aside. I'm sure the guys got little satisfaction getting to second base. After demo, where do you think I went...(if I'm already on campus I'll be at the library, if I'm at home, I'll be at the annex) Studied 'til 6, went for a walk and to eat a Cliff bar, then headed home around 7:30 to have a real meal. While I was cooking, there was a knock at the door. It was Diana and she asked me to clarify a growth factor signalling pathway we had been taught in lecture. I wanted to help, but my mind was not on school and she saw that. So we just chatted a bit instead. She went home and I ate dinner and continued to study.
Today marked the forth consecutive day where I was woken by my alarm. It's like I'm trying to recover from Monday and I keep failing. By 10, I was nodding off during the glycolysis lecture. When the 11 o'clock break came around, I packed up and headed home. I knew I wouldn't make it through the next hour of lecture and would benefit from a nap instead. So that's what I did. It's been a while since I've napped alone (I miss you Courtenay and Mackie!). Nonetheless, I set a timer for an hour and closed my eyes. Well guess what, the timer woke me up! Now, Court and Mackie are probably the only ones that can attest to this, but I do not nap for long periods of time. I can nap for maybe 30 minutes and then I can't get back to sleep. So I must have been really tired to go for the full hour. I could have slept longer but didn't want to mess with anything. So I got up and saw that it was pouring rain outside. I felt bad for my classmates who were walking home from class then. I ate lunch, did the dishes, and wasted some time on NHL.com and TSN.ca/nhl (yes, I always put in the "/nhl" because why go to the main page when you know I'm just going to go to the NHL page anyways!) waiting to see if the rain would die down. The sun came and went but the rain remained. I started to worry that if the rain held up the water would be turned off soon. They did that last Thursday when it poured all Wednesday night. I have a couple of 2L water bottles that I fill with the filtered water on campus and I had just emptied one this morning to have milk with my cereal (FYI I'm totally used to powdered milk). I wanted to make sure I could refill the bottle before the water is turned off, so I loaded up and headed to the annex. Is it just me or does your umbrella shrink when it's pouring rain? It was a 3 minute walk and everything was soaked when I got to the annex: shoes, shorts, shirt, backpack. Despite my soggy state, I found a seat, unpacked my stuff, and b-lined it to the water fountain. YES! Water's still clear! I filled up the 2L and my personal sized water bottle. Then I mediasited the last hour of lecture, and carried on with the usual studying process.
Most of the material has been unbearably dry this week. Anatomy was the most interesting and then the rest of lecture was a mix of histology and biochem. I haven't been digesting the info as readily as weeks before and it's been frustrating, but I'm spending more time reading the textbooks to fill in the gaps. I find it easier than looking at the powerpoint slides from lecture. It is time consuming though and every day this week I'm amazed at just how quickly time flies. I almost can't believe it's Friday already and that it's almost midnight. Oh and I can't believe that New Jersey is in the final!!!! Go Marty!
I've been in Dominica for a month now and it's been interesting to think about my time here so far. I'm still getting to know people, but I think I've found my comfort zone. I've found my footing. It's such a different atmosphere here where you're all on an island, removed from home, surrounded by new people who all want to be doctors. Everybody's looking for people who've got their backs, people they can walk over, people they can tease and everyone will be ok with it, people they will be smarter than. I've also noticed that some people have a real need for companionship with someone of the opposite gender. It's kind of funny to see it because sometimes it's just not classy. Monday night at Champs was a good example. You're seeing inebriated people left and right, chatting with their soon to be "napping buddy" and it's perplexing, but ultimately amusing for me. I mean let's not kid ourselves, we're all adults, but in the way that we act on our urges, we're really behaving like children. The only difference is that the desire for toys, candy, and staying up late has been substituted by something else; that, and you don't have to beg nearly as much. Now I know that this attitude is no different than how it is in Canada or any country really, but I guess it's more amplified here or I just can't avoid witnessing it as readily as I could back at home.
Shortly before leaving class today, Janos asked me if I was going to go out tonight and I said no. First off, I'm exhausted. Secondly, I'm just not in the mood to witness another Monday night and hear about it throughout the week. Thirdly, I'm trying my best to tell myself that I have no money and I'm doing well with that. I used to have a healthy balance between work and play. I know I need balance between school and social life and sure, school has probably dominated my time here. I don't have weekly dinner dates with family, a church that occupies my time or a guitar to jam on, but if Champs is the social option, I'm out. I've got books (and one that I can read over and over) and zzzz's to catch up on. Now the valid argument could be, "you don't know what you're missing out on" and it's so true. Indulgence definitely has its perks, but I guess I find the "nothingness" (which I call God) much more enjoyable. There's no drama in it. There's a peace which transcends all understanding, that guards my heart and mind. I'd say that's pretty awesome. I'd say "You don't know what you're missing out on"
Woke up, showered, and headed to church on Sunday. The band was actually a full band this time with a bass and electric guitar added in. The worship leader was female, which is always awesome. The music was significantly better than the last couple weeks. Rachel was there so we chatted after the service. Then Chris and I joined some other RCFers at the Subway deck for lunch. Jackie sat next to us and these were his first words "Y'all just met here like two weeks ago, right?" (Jackie's from Georgia). Chris and I said he was correct and he replied "Oh good, 'cause after y'alls left last night, some of the girls asked me how long y'all been married for". Oooooooh Christians...we'll never escape the stereotypes because we propagate them so that they are stereotypes. The good news is that when/if I get married, I'll be considered ancient in Christian years, but normal in normal years. You really shouldn't get me started on the subject of Christians getting married young, I'll likely get very angry. Sometimes I feel that it's my responsibility to let the world know that not all Christians are like that. Anyways, Chris and I had a good laugh about our invisible wedding rings, while freaking out at the same time worrying about how far this rumour has spread (FYI, if I married an American, I'd still spell it "rumour", call it "pop", stay metric, and end my phrases as if they were a question). Studied 'til 10:30, relaxed at home, and went to bed.
Exam day. I set my alarm for 6:45 just so that I would have more time to enjoy breakfast and take the morning nice and easy. I don't like rushing and then writing a test. I much rather prefer being calm and then stressing during the test. It was as hard as was to be expected. A couple questions surprised me, others made me realize which areas I skimmed over (stupid meiosis!), but for the most part, it was reasonable and I felt confident that I didn't ace it, but didn't fail it either.
The exam ended around 9:45. The DJ crew made plans to go to the beach after we'd gone home to relax a bit. I should note that the crew has increased significantly to include: Diana, Janos, Dimal, Kat, Candyce, Malini, and Harper. Regardless, the D & J aspects are still there so I'll continue to refer to them as the DJ crew. Around noon, I was starting to wonder if the beach was still going to happen given that it's been raining for the majority of the day. Malini texted me to inform me that the crew was going to take a nap and then maybe head to the beach. I don't know what most people do at the beach, but one of the things I like to do is nap in the sun. It's like you're multitasking! Anyways, I told her that and then soon after I got a call from her saying that we were going to the beach immediately. Woooo!! The crew split between home nap takers and beach goers. I went to Secret Beach with Malini, Candyce, and Kat. Secret Beach is only accessible by boat. So you need to take a cab to the docks and then a boat to the beach. The ride to the dock was rainfilled, the boat trip to the beach was in a downpour which made for a humourous moment for all of us. But once we got to the beach, clear skies. Perfect timing, perfect day.
 |
| Me, Malini, Candyce, and Kat getting soaked on the boat |
 |
| The entrance to the bat cave was hidden in the rock wall |
We headed back home in the late afternoon. The plan was to shower, eat, and then head to Champs where essentially 90% of the patrons will be 1st semesters. 7pm hit and I was getting pretty tired, but I don't take evening naps unless it's called sleeping through the night. I called Malini to say that I probably wasn't going to head to Champs and she was adamant about me going, "This was our first mini. You won't get many days where you can do this. YOU'RE COMING!" I obliged and coordinated schedules with Diana as to when we'd head out together. We met up with the crew around 10 and headed up to Champs. It wasn't too busy yet, but the bad techno music was already blaring. As people roll in you start recognizing more faces, give lots of head nods and "Hey, how's it goin?!", and the odd hug to those couple of individuals who are either really friendly or already had a few too many and need a human crutch. Malini has this amazing gift of being so personable and can meet people and remember their name in record time. As I've said before, God didn't bless me with the best memory, so I usually need to learn a person's name at least 5 times before I can remember and put face & name together. Everytime any of the DJ crew drops a name that isn't in the crew, I always say "Wait, who are we talking about?". It's pretty bad. Anyways, Sunday night was a night of practice for me. In my estimations I did well, but if Malini were setting the curve, I'd fail. Practice makes perfect and I've got 'til August 2013 to practice on the entire class. By 11, the place was packed, the music had improved, and good times were had, except for the fact that I really didn't have energy. By 12:30, shortly after the Lakers lost to the Thunder, Dimal, Malini, and I left. Dimal and Malini live in the area so they walked home. I headed to campus so that I could take the 1:00 shuttle home. Bed by 1:30.
Kirsten is grumpy when she doesn't get enough sleep. Kirsten was grumpy on Tuesday and nodded off in lecture, complete with head snapping. Midway through classes, emails were being sent to students from the school. Word spread that these were notification emails that you had received less than 70% on the exam based off of the raw score (before the exam is reviewed for faulty questions or multiple correct responses). I definitely felt nervous and checked my email during every break between lectures and then after classes were over (I feared that emails were being sent out alphabetically and that I would get mine later in the day). I went home, ate lunch, checked the email, found nothing, headed to the annex to study, checked the email, found nothing, headed to main campus for a Canadian Student Society meeting (free dinner and minimal chat), headed to the library, checked the email, found nothing, studied, then it was 10:25, so I packed up, took the shuttle home, and decided in my mind that I had passed the mini.
The alarm woke me up again, meaning my body seems to need more sleep. The first lecture was anatomy followed by three hours of biochem. If there's any subject I hate, it's biochemistry. It's soooo boring. I wanted to leave, I wanted to rip the desk off the ground and hurl it like the Hulk. Finally class was over and I headed home to eat lunch. I received an email from Ross giving me the letters I shaded in on my scantron and then instructions on accessing the answer key. It was tedious but come on, you know I'm going to do the work, I'm pretty sure all of us would have. Furthermore, it was just a 69 question test, so not much work. When all was said and done, I found myself looking at an 80%, which sounded right. I knew I definitely had to guess on a few questions and others I wasn't completely confident in my choice. So I'm content, I know where I need to fill in the gaps and I can move on and prep for the next mini which is on June 11th.
Later in the day, I went to main campus for my first Problem Based Learning session. You're in a group of 8-9 students and are presented with a vignette. Your group has to identify and analyze the data, make some hypotheses, and write out learning objectives that will need further research. We have a facilitator/physician that led our discussion, but over the next few weeks he should be fairly silent and we can propagate the flow. Some people in our group aren't quite comfortable with the format and continually, almost instinctively asked the doctor every question that popped into their head. He obviously can't give us the answers because we're supposed to do the work to answer it ourselves. So immense patience was required on my part. PBL will happen almost every week for the next few semesters. Immense patience indeed. Headed to the library to study, then the DJ crew went to The Usual Spot for dinner. Candyce and I split the panang beef meal. It was huge and spicy. I'm glad we shared. We talked about the mini and classes. After dinner I headed back to the library with Candyce and Malini to keep working 'til 10:30 and then I headed home.
Thursday was a standard day of classes. I had a lab demo at 1, so lunch had to be quick and then out the door I go. The group that was demoing were showing us the nerves and arteries feeding into the anterior thoracic region, meaning they had to remove the breasts on our cadaver in order to reveal the pectoral muscles. We recently had lectures about breast cancer and may I just say, mammograms freak me out. I do not look forward to having one, not that there's much to squish, but still gahhh! Anyways, it was a bit odd to see our cadaver's breasts set aside. I'm sure the guys got little satisfaction getting to second base. After demo, where do you think I went...(if I'm already on campus I'll be at the library, if I'm at home, I'll be at the annex) Studied 'til 6, went for a walk and to eat a Cliff bar, then headed home around 7:30 to have a real meal. While I was cooking, there was a knock at the door. It was Diana and she asked me to clarify a growth factor signalling pathway we had been taught in lecture. I wanted to help, but my mind was not on school and she saw that. So we just chatted a bit instead. She went home and I ate dinner and continued to study.
Today marked the forth consecutive day where I was woken by my alarm. It's like I'm trying to recover from Monday and I keep failing. By 10, I was nodding off during the glycolysis lecture. When the 11 o'clock break came around, I packed up and headed home. I knew I wouldn't make it through the next hour of lecture and would benefit from a nap instead. So that's what I did. It's been a while since I've napped alone (I miss you Courtenay and Mackie!). Nonetheless, I set a timer for an hour and closed my eyes. Well guess what, the timer woke me up! Now, Court and Mackie are probably the only ones that can attest to this, but I do not nap for long periods of time. I can nap for maybe 30 minutes and then I can't get back to sleep. So I must have been really tired to go for the full hour. I could have slept longer but didn't want to mess with anything. So I got up and saw that it was pouring rain outside. I felt bad for my classmates who were walking home from class then. I ate lunch, did the dishes, and wasted some time on NHL.com and TSN.ca/nhl (yes, I always put in the "/nhl" because why go to the main page when you know I'm just going to go to the NHL page anyways!) waiting to see if the rain would die down. The sun came and went but the rain remained. I started to worry that if the rain held up the water would be turned off soon. They did that last Thursday when it poured all Wednesday night. I have a couple of 2L water bottles that I fill with the filtered water on campus and I had just emptied one this morning to have milk with my cereal (FYI I'm totally used to powdered milk). I wanted to make sure I could refill the bottle before the water is turned off, so I loaded up and headed to the annex. Is it just me or does your umbrella shrink when it's pouring rain? It was a 3 minute walk and everything was soaked when I got to the annex: shoes, shorts, shirt, backpack. Despite my soggy state, I found a seat, unpacked my stuff, and b-lined it to the water fountain. YES! Water's still clear! I filled up the 2L and my personal sized water bottle. Then I mediasited the last hour of lecture, and carried on with the usual studying process.
Most of the material has been unbearably dry this week. Anatomy was the most interesting and then the rest of lecture was a mix of histology and biochem. I haven't been digesting the info as readily as weeks before and it's been frustrating, but I'm spending more time reading the textbooks to fill in the gaps. I find it easier than looking at the powerpoint slides from lecture. It is time consuming though and every day this week I'm amazed at just how quickly time flies. I almost can't believe it's Friday already and that it's almost midnight. Oh and I can't believe that New Jersey is in the final!!!! Go Marty!
I've been in Dominica for a month now and it's been interesting to think about my time here so far. I'm still getting to know people, but I think I've found my comfort zone. I've found my footing. It's such a different atmosphere here where you're all on an island, removed from home, surrounded by new people who all want to be doctors. Everybody's looking for people who've got their backs, people they can walk over, people they can tease and everyone will be ok with it, people they will be smarter than. I've also noticed that some people have a real need for companionship with someone of the opposite gender. It's kind of funny to see it because sometimes it's just not classy. Monday night at Champs was a good example. You're seeing inebriated people left and right, chatting with their soon to be "napping buddy" and it's perplexing, but ultimately amusing for me. I mean let's not kid ourselves, we're all adults, but in the way that we act on our urges, we're really behaving like children. The only difference is that the desire for toys, candy, and staying up late has been substituted by something else; that, and you don't have to beg nearly as much. Now I know that this attitude is no different than how it is in Canada or any country really, but I guess it's more amplified here or I just can't avoid witnessing it as readily as I could back at home.
Shortly before leaving class today, Janos asked me if I was going to go out tonight and I said no. First off, I'm exhausted. Secondly, I'm just not in the mood to witness another Monday night and hear about it throughout the week. Thirdly, I'm trying my best to tell myself that I have no money and I'm doing well with that. I used to have a healthy balance between work and play. I know I need balance between school and social life and sure, school has probably dominated my time here. I don't have weekly dinner dates with family, a church that occupies my time or a guitar to jam on, but if Champs is the social option, I'm out. I've got books (and one that I can read over and over) and zzzz's to catch up on. Now the valid argument could be, "you don't know what you're missing out on" and it's so true. Indulgence definitely has its perks, but I guess I find the "nothingness" (which I call God) much more enjoyable. There's no drama in it. There's a peace which transcends all understanding, that guards my heart and mind. I'd say that's pretty awesome. I'd say "You don't know what you're missing out on"
Friday, 18 May 2012
Rocks and Hard Places
If you weren't sure, I'm fairly adjusted to the weather here now. I'm sleeping through the night with dreams that I can remember (somehow that's the measure of good sleep for me, recalling dreams). My body has gotten used to going to bed around 11pm/midnight and getting up around 6:45 just before my 7am alarm. I usually lay in bed 'til the alarm goes off though. There's just something about waking up every morning to the words "So let hope rise and darkness tremble in Your holy light..." that really sets the mood and starts my day on the right foot. "With Everything" by Hillsong has to be one of my favourite worship songs ever. It's so subdued and then crescendos at the perfect lyrical spots. I'm not crazy about the repeating bridge that takes over the last half of the song, but the first half wins me over. Every time I had the pleasure of leading it at youth group, I'd always skim over the bridge and bring it back to "Let hope rise..." Not to take meaning or power away from declaring complete devotion, but after a few times of singing the bridge, I find myself thinking "ok, I think He gets the point and I think we've forgotten the meaning behind what we're singing". That's always been something I've tried to be cognizant of when choosing songs - points where I'm singing the same thing and it loses power because of it. "All Who Are Thirsty" is a good example. I love the song, but there have been times when we're repeating the last chorus (meaning you're singing the same line for up to 8 times) and I stop singing in the middle. Sometimes I stop to think about what I'm singing, reaffirm and paraphrase it in my head of the difference things I mean every time I sing the same words, or sometimes it's to hear the rest of the congregation singing it and tapping into what they're saying on their behalf, and then it changes my perspective and I'm singing the same words for them instead of me in the end. So there's one way of making it work, but if there are songs where I just can't seem to change it up and make it fresh, I get distracted and disconnected and more often than not, I rarely put it in my future songlists. A little tidbit for aspiring worship leaders out there I guess, and just a tangent in my mind for the rest of you to endure.
Saturday was yoga at 9. There were significantly fewer participants this time, which I enjoyed. I feel so relaxed by the time 10:30 hits, and yet my body's getting worked out a bit (dude, you should see my abs). The teacher is great, the classes are free, and the location is on the lower seaside deck meaning you've got the Caribbean Sea washing up along the shore just meters away. That's the ideal situation for me there. After yoga, I headed home to shower, study, eat lunch, and then headed back to campus for a whale watching tour at 1pm. I have to tell you, that was the biggest waste of my time since I've landed on the island. We didn't see dolphins and definitely didn't see whales. The tour before us saw all kinds of marine life, and we got flipped the fin, so to speak. The ship crew wanted to find some thing for us so they kept heading further south towards Roseau, when finally they decided to call it a day and head back. We were supposed to be back at 4, but ended up arriving close to 5 instead. All of us were quite disappointed that we had just lost over 4 hours of studying time. A significant number of people got seasick on the boat too. I was fine and spent most of the trip riding along portside getting that sea breeze blowing on me, but had a wonderful layer of salt crystals on me by the time I got home. I showered off, got my books together and headed to the Annex to study. After about 3 hours, I noticed that I was feeling a bit dizzy; that everything was moving around me. Then I cursed under my breath, when I realized I had sea legs. It was a pretty rough ride, which is why people got seasick. I was fine on the boat, but now that I was on land, my legs were so used to the rocking that they were messing with my head. So the whale watching trip screwed me over in more ways than taking away precious hours of studying. I headed home around 9 and rested my body by the fan, and rested my eyes by closing the lap top. Did some reading, got ready for bed, and hit the sack early.
Well, my body/mind clearly needed the rest because I didn't get up until 8am on Sunday. I still had plenty of time to have a leisurely breakfast before church at 10:30.The service was packed and it was nice to see familiar faces from class. You have those moments of "Oh cool! That person's a Christian too? I had no idea!" I sat next to Chris. We've been sitting together for class as well too. Continuity is nice and I try to have that in my life. One of the fourth semester students took us through John 4. Same worship leader as last week, but with a "full band" meaning instead of guitar & keyboard, there's now guitar, keyboard, drums, and a nice little choir of African American women throwing in their gospel groove. Based off the services I've attended, I've grown to truly appreciate and miss the wealth of musical talent we have at NDEFC. Our teams are so good at being in sync with each other and understanding dynamics. The musicians here are ok, but ND, you've got it good. There were sign-up lists for sports teams and different ministries. I wrote my name down for sports, but opted not to sign up to help out with music. Don't get me wrong, it's a huge passion of mine, but if I can't put in the time to do it well, I'd rather not be involved. Maybe as time goes on, I'll take on more things, but I can't get ahead of myself.
Monday was just like the school days last week. Class, study product, review, and preview, oh and eat when it's convenient. I got home around 10 to do some reading when Mom & Dad Skyped me. It was nice to chat and see their faces. Big thanks to Jen Bono for giving my mom a hug on Mothers' Day. She definitely felt the love.
Tuesday proved to be the first challenging day school wise. On a side note, God didn't give me the best memory, but He blessed me with best friends that have the same birthday. It's truly impossible to forget May 15th when it's important to more than one valuable person in your life. The school day went like this: class, lab demo where I met my cadaver and saw her back muscles, then there was a patient interview, then another lecture. I wasn't free until 4:30. I went home, ate, then headed back to the Annex to finish and submit my patient interview report, then cram to do the usual studying things, except I had a PAcE quiz to study for Wednesday as well. I got home past 11 that night.
Wednesday marked the first time in a while that I didn't wake up before my alarm. Lectures were scheduled until 3, but our PAcE session started at 2 so I skipped my first lecture. The individual quiz was moderately challenging, the group quiz is easier because you're combining your minds to agree on an answer, then we get to talk with the faculty who provided the questions for the quiz. Very helpful. Our group works well together and we were able to teach each other a bit. I got 82% on the individual quiz, we got 97% on the group quiz. So we're off to a good start. After PAcE, the DJ crew gathered for a group studying session. Each of us picked a lecture to "teach" to the crew. I chose the vertebral column and spinal cord. It was a fairly productive time. We have different teaching styles. I like teaching through diagrams and guiding discussions with the group, others like to teach through quizzing. I don't respond well to the latter method, because I might not know the answer and would rather be taught it rather than just given the correct answer. The general consensus was that we probably wouldn't do it again, or we'd do it in much smaller groups. After that, I headed to the library to mediasite the lecture I missed, then did reading to prep for dissection on Thursday. In bed past 11 again.
Thursday, woken up at 7. Class, home for lunch, lab demo on the spine, then dissection time. In lab you're put into groups of 5-6. Two people dissect, one reads the instructions, one records, and then two have to demostrate to other groups the next lab day. Our group has 5. I got to dissect with Harper (his first name is Christian but he goes by Harper). We had to isolate the deltoid, the tricep muscles, and the scapular muscles. It was a slow start at first because we didn't want to cut too deep and ruin the muscles, and then while retracting them, we didn't want to cut any arteries or nerves because we needed to isolate those too. After the first hour, we were engaged. The "whoa, I'm cutting into a person" feeling wears off and you find your face mere inches away from her as your trying to clean off the radial nerve. Perhaps the weirdest part for me was when I needed to abduct the arm from the body and I did as if I were giving her a hand shake with one hand on her upper arm and the other holding her hand. I noticed that she had her fingernails painted red. I had to stand back, take a deep breath, and then engage the medical mind again. The nice thing is that Ross ensures that all the tissues and organs of each body are kept in separate compartments as we dissect and remove them. At the end of the semester, they cremate all the remains of one person, place them in an urn and send it back to the family. I don't know if all med schools do this, I hope they do, but it was nice to find out that respect is important. The easy way would just cremate all the remains as they are removed from the bodies disregarding what's from what body, but we're recognizing that an incredible gift has been given to us and we want to honour and respect that as much as possible. The dissection ended just past 5pm, then I headed off to a meeting for the Ross Emergency Medical Association, ate dinner, then went to a Lab TA session, got home just past 9, showered, then headed to the annex to get cracking on the study product for Wednesday. By 11:30 my mind was not focused, so I called it a day.
No classes today so I slept in 'til 8, had a leisurely breakfast, headed to the annex to finish Wednesday's study product and do Thursday's as well, home for lunch, then headed to campus to attend a Group Discussion session facilitated by one of our professors. We went through various sample questions for the full hour and a half. It was just after 5pm when we ended. I headed to the library to squeeze in some more studying. I was scheduled for clean-up duty for the RCF BBQ which started at 5pm. I needed to be there for 7. So a quick study time and then I headed to the upper seaside deck to find that they were wrapping up. I asked if they needed any help with clean up and they said they were good to go. I was kinda happy but also a bit bummed since I was looking forward to helping out and socializing. Oh well. I'm planning on going to their home group tomorrow night and then there's church on Sunday.
We've got our first midterm ("mini") on Monday and that's what everybody is freaking out about on campus. We hear all kinds of horror stories like this is where you lose a bunch of people from your class. You hear that if you bomb this one, you're going to have to dig deep to not fail the rest of the semester. So there's pressure and yet I'm not really feeling it. Not because I'm confident in my knowledge, in fact, especially this week, I feel like I've been playing catch up and haven't had the time to digest what we've been taught. I didn't stress about the PAcE quiz and I did well on that, but I don't think the Mini will be as easy as the quiz. I'd like to feel pressure, but regardless, I'm putting in the time and know that I've got gaps to fill in my head. I'm not procrastinating or half-assing it, I just feel like I should be less at ease. But then again, I know a bunch of you are praying for me, praying for peace of mind and stability and it'd be pretty selfish of me to want the opposite of that. So thanks for the prayers. I guess we'll see where my mind's at after the test, maybe I'll feel more like a med student then.
I've been thinking a lot about prayer lately and how it's been tough for me. I enjoy doing my daily devotionals because it's feeding into me, but I feel like I don't know what to pray for. I have this post-it app on my phone and if any of you have seen it, you'll know that on the main display, there's a post-it that says "PRAY". If you click on the post-it, you'll see a list of things I was praying about then. If you click on it now, it'll list the following: Cherilyn & Tony, Ryan & Sarah, Tami's recovery, Alyse's transition, Mackie's school. It's a little out of date. I'll look at it every now and then, but I find myself frustrated because I have nothing new to say because I have no idea what's going on now in the lives of people. And believe me, if there's anything I really dislike doing, it's praying in vague terms. Cherilyn & Tony are married now, Paige has been in the world for a little while now for Ryan & Sarah, Tami's been recovering well, Alyse has been home for almost half a year and seems to have transitioned for the most part, and Mackie's done school for now. Now obviously, it's not like I stop praying for these people or don't know what else to pray for, but it's like I'm saying the same thing for them or guessing at what they're going through. It's just a bit odd for me right now, while I set my roots here and wait for God to place other people on my heart - not to replace my listed people, but just so that I know what I'm praying for and can follow up on it.
I keep getting feedback from you guys saying how you can actually hear my voice as you read this, but I don't know if what I'm saying makes any sense here. Nonetheless, I've tried my best to be transparent for most of my adult life and this blog is no exception. So there ya have it. This is where I'm at and that's how it is. They're not all winners, but at least they're all honest.
"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge"
-Psalm 62:8
Saturday was yoga at 9. There were significantly fewer participants this time, which I enjoyed. I feel so relaxed by the time 10:30 hits, and yet my body's getting worked out a bit (dude, you should see my abs). The teacher is great, the classes are free, and the location is on the lower seaside deck meaning you've got the Caribbean Sea washing up along the shore just meters away. That's the ideal situation for me there. After yoga, I headed home to shower, study, eat lunch, and then headed back to campus for a whale watching tour at 1pm. I have to tell you, that was the biggest waste of my time since I've landed on the island. We didn't see dolphins and definitely didn't see whales. The tour before us saw all kinds of marine life, and we got flipped the fin, so to speak. The ship crew wanted to find some thing for us so they kept heading further south towards Roseau, when finally they decided to call it a day and head back. We were supposed to be back at 4, but ended up arriving close to 5 instead. All of us were quite disappointed that we had just lost over 4 hours of studying time. A significant number of people got seasick on the boat too. I was fine and spent most of the trip riding along portside getting that sea breeze blowing on me, but had a wonderful layer of salt crystals on me by the time I got home. I showered off, got my books together and headed to the Annex to study. After about 3 hours, I noticed that I was feeling a bit dizzy; that everything was moving around me. Then I cursed under my breath, when I realized I had sea legs. It was a pretty rough ride, which is why people got seasick. I was fine on the boat, but now that I was on land, my legs were so used to the rocking that they were messing with my head. So the whale watching trip screwed me over in more ways than taking away precious hours of studying. I headed home around 9 and rested my body by the fan, and rested my eyes by closing the lap top. Did some reading, got ready for bed, and hit the sack early.
Well, my body/mind clearly needed the rest because I didn't get up until 8am on Sunday. I still had plenty of time to have a leisurely breakfast before church at 10:30.The service was packed and it was nice to see familiar faces from class. You have those moments of "Oh cool! That person's a Christian too? I had no idea!" I sat next to Chris. We've been sitting together for class as well too. Continuity is nice and I try to have that in my life. One of the fourth semester students took us through John 4. Same worship leader as last week, but with a "full band" meaning instead of guitar & keyboard, there's now guitar, keyboard, drums, and a nice little choir of African American women throwing in their gospel groove. Based off the services I've attended, I've grown to truly appreciate and miss the wealth of musical talent we have at NDEFC. Our teams are so good at being in sync with each other and understanding dynamics. The musicians here are ok, but ND, you've got it good. There were sign-up lists for sports teams and different ministries. I wrote my name down for sports, but opted not to sign up to help out with music. Don't get me wrong, it's a huge passion of mine, but if I can't put in the time to do it well, I'd rather not be involved. Maybe as time goes on, I'll take on more things, but I can't get ahead of myself.
Monday was just like the school days last week. Class, study product, review, and preview, oh and eat when it's convenient. I got home around 10 to do some reading when Mom & Dad Skyped me. It was nice to chat and see their faces. Big thanks to Jen Bono for giving my mom a hug on Mothers' Day. She definitely felt the love.
Tuesday proved to be the first challenging day school wise. On a side note, God didn't give me the best memory, but He blessed me with best friends that have the same birthday. It's truly impossible to forget May 15th when it's important to more than one valuable person in your life. The school day went like this: class, lab demo where I met my cadaver and saw her back muscles, then there was a patient interview, then another lecture. I wasn't free until 4:30. I went home, ate, then headed back to the Annex to finish and submit my patient interview report, then cram to do the usual studying things, except I had a PAcE quiz to study for Wednesday as well. I got home past 11 that night.
Wednesday marked the first time in a while that I didn't wake up before my alarm. Lectures were scheduled until 3, but our PAcE session started at 2 so I skipped my first lecture. The individual quiz was moderately challenging, the group quiz is easier because you're combining your minds to agree on an answer, then we get to talk with the faculty who provided the questions for the quiz. Very helpful. Our group works well together and we were able to teach each other a bit. I got 82% on the individual quiz, we got 97% on the group quiz. So we're off to a good start. After PAcE, the DJ crew gathered for a group studying session. Each of us picked a lecture to "teach" to the crew. I chose the vertebral column and spinal cord. It was a fairly productive time. We have different teaching styles. I like teaching through diagrams and guiding discussions with the group, others like to teach through quizzing. I don't respond well to the latter method, because I might not know the answer and would rather be taught it rather than just given the correct answer. The general consensus was that we probably wouldn't do it again, or we'd do it in much smaller groups. After that, I headed to the library to mediasite the lecture I missed, then did reading to prep for dissection on Thursday. In bed past 11 again.
Thursday, woken up at 7. Class, home for lunch, lab demo on the spine, then dissection time. In lab you're put into groups of 5-6. Two people dissect, one reads the instructions, one records, and then two have to demostrate to other groups the next lab day. Our group has 5. I got to dissect with Harper (his first name is Christian but he goes by Harper). We had to isolate the deltoid, the tricep muscles, and the scapular muscles. It was a slow start at first because we didn't want to cut too deep and ruin the muscles, and then while retracting them, we didn't want to cut any arteries or nerves because we needed to isolate those too. After the first hour, we were engaged. The "whoa, I'm cutting into a person" feeling wears off and you find your face mere inches away from her as your trying to clean off the radial nerve. Perhaps the weirdest part for me was when I needed to abduct the arm from the body and I did as if I were giving her a hand shake with one hand on her upper arm and the other holding her hand. I noticed that she had her fingernails painted red. I had to stand back, take a deep breath, and then engage the medical mind again. The nice thing is that Ross ensures that all the tissues and organs of each body are kept in separate compartments as we dissect and remove them. At the end of the semester, they cremate all the remains of one person, place them in an urn and send it back to the family. I don't know if all med schools do this, I hope they do, but it was nice to find out that respect is important. The easy way would just cremate all the remains as they are removed from the bodies disregarding what's from what body, but we're recognizing that an incredible gift has been given to us and we want to honour and respect that as much as possible. The dissection ended just past 5pm, then I headed off to a meeting for the Ross Emergency Medical Association, ate dinner, then went to a Lab TA session, got home just past 9, showered, then headed to the annex to get cracking on the study product for Wednesday. By 11:30 my mind was not focused, so I called it a day.
No classes today so I slept in 'til 8, had a leisurely breakfast, headed to the annex to finish Wednesday's study product and do Thursday's as well, home for lunch, then headed to campus to attend a Group Discussion session facilitated by one of our professors. We went through various sample questions for the full hour and a half. It was just after 5pm when we ended. I headed to the library to squeeze in some more studying. I was scheduled for clean-up duty for the RCF BBQ which started at 5pm. I needed to be there for 7. So a quick study time and then I headed to the upper seaside deck to find that they were wrapping up. I asked if they needed any help with clean up and they said they were good to go. I was kinda happy but also a bit bummed since I was looking forward to helping out and socializing. Oh well. I'm planning on going to their home group tomorrow night and then there's church on Sunday.
We've got our first midterm ("mini") on Monday and that's what everybody is freaking out about on campus. We hear all kinds of horror stories like this is where you lose a bunch of people from your class. You hear that if you bomb this one, you're going to have to dig deep to not fail the rest of the semester. So there's pressure and yet I'm not really feeling it. Not because I'm confident in my knowledge, in fact, especially this week, I feel like I've been playing catch up and haven't had the time to digest what we've been taught. I didn't stress about the PAcE quiz and I did well on that, but I don't think the Mini will be as easy as the quiz. I'd like to feel pressure, but regardless, I'm putting in the time and know that I've got gaps to fill in my head. I'm not procrastinating or half-assing it, I just feel like I should be less at ease. But then again, I know a bunch of you are praying for me, praying for peace of mind and stability and it'd be pretty selfish of me to want the opposite of that. So thanks for the prayers. I guess we'll see where my mind's at after the test, maybe I'll feel more like a med student then.
I've been thinking a lot about prayer lately and how it's been tough for me. I enjoy doing my daily devotionals because it's feeding into me, but I feel like I don't know what to pray for. I have this post-it app on my phone and if any of you have seen it, you'll know that on the main display, there's a post-it that says "PRAY". If you click on the post-it, you'll see a list of things I was praying about then. If you click on it now, it'll list the following: Cherilyn & Tony, Ryan & Sarah, Tami's recovery, Alyse's transition, Mackie's school. It's a little out of date. I'll look at it every now and then, but I find myself frustrated because I have nothing new to say because I have no idea what's going on now in the lives of people. And believe me, if there's anything I really dislike doing, it's praying in vague terms. Cherilyn & Tony are married now, Paige has been in the world for a little while now for Ryan & Sarah, Tami's been recovering well, Alyse has been home for almost half a year and seems to have transitioned for the most part, and Mackie's done school for now. Now obviously, it's not like I stop praying for these people or don't know what else to pray for, but it's like I'm saying the same thing for them or guessing at what they're going through. It's just a bit odd for me right now, while I set my roots here and wait for God to place other people on my heart - not to replace my listed people, but just so that I know what I'm praying for and can follow up on it.
I keep getting feedback from you guys saying how you can actually hear my voice as you read this, but I don't know if what I'm saying makes any sense here. Nonetheless, I've tried my best to be transparent for most of my adult life and this blog is no exception. So there ya have it. This is where I'm at and that's how it is. They're not all winners, but at least they're all honest.
"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge"
-Psalm 62:8
Friday, 11 May 2012
With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept
Monday night, I witnessed my first lightning storm, but it was sheet lightning which is way less impressive than fork lightning. To make things more anticlimactic, there was no thunder or rain so the storm must have been quite far, though the lightning flashes were quite frequent. Half the enjoyability of storms is the thunder that roars (if you're lucky) soon after the lightning. I love lightning storms, especially summer ones. One of the best days of my life remains that lightning storm in the summer of 2009 during the Festival of Lights. Fork lightning everywhere and then fireworks. But seriously, it was an awesome day. Definitely in my top 5. It's actually hard to think of the other 4, so maybe it takes top spot? The clinching game of the Western Conference Final of 2011 is up there, but the storm still places higher. There are definitely memorable periods in my life like trips to Haiti, or the west coast roadtrip, but to narrow it down to specific days eliminates the trips because specific days don't stand out (at least not for good reasons, there are very specific days from those trips that rank in the worst days of my life).
Anyways, classes have started and work has piled up considerably. For first semester, all lectures take place at the Annex, which happens to be a three minute walk from my apartment. I'll try looking for a different apartment next semester when classes are at the main campus (which is about a 15 minute walk from home right now). Class ended at noon on Monday. I went home to eat lunch then headed to main campus for the first PAcE session from 1-2. The PAcE (Progressive Academic Education) program involves doing an individual quiz for 30 minutes, a group quiz for another 30, and then discussing matters with faculty for an hour. The meetings aren't regular and are sometimes during lectures, so PAcE students have access to Mediasite from home. Mediasite is an online database where all the lectures have been recorded. It's actually pretty cool. The first quiz is next Wednesday. After PAcE, I went to the library and spent the next 4 hours there reviewing and prepping for Tuesday. Most of the material was manageable, though learning all the details of the superficial and deep back muscles are proving to be difficult. I think I need to take it one muscle at a time or else I'll keep hitting a wall everytime I consider a specific category of back muscles. Go through each muscle, and then I'm sure I'll clue into the trends and figure out why some are grouped a certain way.
Tuesday lectures went from 8-2 with an hour break from 12-1 for lunch. After the last lecture, I headed down to the library where I parked myself in a cubicle for 5 hours, decided I should probably eat, went to the Shacks to get some grub, ate said grub, and returned to the library. It feels good to know that I don't have a problem studying for extended periods of time. If anything, time passes too quickly. You review the lectures you had that day, create a study product for them by condensing down the info and pulling out the main points, then prep for lectures the next day by reading the lecture slides and the recommended texts. Lots to do!
Wednesday was more of the same, lecture wise. After class, I headed to IGA to get some groceries (I couldn't eat my giant bag of Honey Nut flavoured O-rings before the ants got to it, so sad) then came home to a clean apartment. Monday was a Dominican holiday so the cleaning schedule was bumped. Couldn't find anything to take issue with this time, so no need to bring up the things that happened last Tuesday. Headed to the library to study until ~6. There was the club fair going on from 5-7 at the CAC. I signed up for the Ross Christian Fellowship club, which runs the church I attended on Sunday. They have Bible Study and Prayer Meeting once a week. I asked about small groups, and they don't officially organize them, but they have been known to pop up every now and then. There were other organizations that involved exposure to clinical settings. I signed up for a couple of them. Oh and I signed up for the Canadian Student Society. Didn't get an explanation of what events would happen or what it does, but I figured it's Canadian, what's the worst that could happen? Be forced to sing all of Roch Voisine's singles whilst playing hockey, eating some Timmy Ho's, and saying "Sorry" or "Je m'excuse" every 1.6 kilometers? I'm Canadian, I can deal with it.
On that note, I've been keeping up with the NHL playoffs and admittedly, the Eastern Conference is proving to be more interesting and has been for nearly the entirety of the postseason. No close series at all in the West, but the East is full of grit and hard fought lengthy series. I'm cheering for New Jersey and Phoenix. Jersey because a declining Martin Brodeur deserves it. Phoenix because a team that endures constant instability, and is equipped with former Canucks (Aucoin and oooooooo Taylor Pyatt*) really deserves it.
While checking out the clubs, Ninja Kim, used his said ninja skills and appeared out of nowhere again. We ran into Angela and Yezi and decided we'd have dinner together. I brought my dinner and stored it in the campus fridges so I grabbed it and headed to Shwarma .....something. Shwarma Marma? Shwarma King? One of them is a restaurant across the street from campus, and one of them is from Modern Family. I can't remember which is which. Anyways, we went there so Kim and Angela could get their shwarma on. Then we headed to Angela's apartment, which is next door to Yezi's and we all ate there. Then all of us, except Yezi, studied in Jenner Hall (aka "the barn") to continue studying.
Thursday proved to be fairly uneventful. Called home to sort out some BC Student Aid details and spoke to mom. It's Mother's Day this weekend and all her children have flown the coop. Justin's in Prince Rupert, Gavin's in New York, and if you don't know where I am, you don't deserve to read this blog. Hopefully, someone at church will give her a carnation on Sunday, make their eyes squinty, and sarcastically say "Happy Mother's Day, Mom!". Maybe give a side hug or a reaching hug over a chair, with two blessing pats. It'll be like one of us were doing it, I swear.
Friday lectures weren't about science at all, just more along the lines of orientation again. We learned about what to expect in our simulation labs, what's tested, what to wear, and the competencies of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. We watched a video made in the 80's about how a dog received better healthcare than a human being. Moral of the story, if you believe in reincarnation, hope you come back as a golden retriever by the name of "Max", if you don't believe in reincarnation, I'm sorry you're not a golden retriever by the name of "Max".
It all ended around 10:30. I went home, relaxed, ate lunch, showered, and got ready for the White Coat ceremony. Put on my green dress, heeled sandals, and accessorized with the long necklace my cousin, Alison, gave me before I left (FYI-our last night before I left ranks in my top 5). Diana and I walked down to the St. James Centre together. The sun and wind were out in full force. We tried our best to go Asian and use our umbrellas but the wind kept inverting them. So by the time we got to the Centre, our hair was messed up and our faces were shimmering with sweat. We went straight to the restrooms where other ladies were in the same scenario and we made the best of it. The ceremony was lengthy starting with the Dominican and American national anthems (man, I miss Canada), introductions to all the various faculty, speakers, graduates, and the Prime Minister of Dominica (yeah, Ross is a big deal here), and then a bunch of speeches. Turns out our PM here is the youngest PM to be elected in the world and he's currently the youngest in the Western Hemisphere. We were given various stats about our class. There are only 17 Canadians and about 12 of them are from Ontario. So finding another BC-er, let alone the other Canadians, will prove to be difficult, unless they all signed up for the Canadian club. There are normally more Canadians and more females, but our class proves to be the exception to both trends. 58% are male. Word's been getting around that we're one of the most polite classes so far, which is quite complimentary. Hopefully, we'll keep it up.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Denise Infante, a Ross 2000 grad, practicing pediatrician. She told us about her journey. At one point she said "You'll miss friends' weddings, the birth of their children, people's funerals..." and immediately people come to mind and it kinda crushed me. I don't expect people to accommodate my goals into their plans, but it's tough when you have a close friend who plans on getting married and another that is planning for parenthood within the next four years. This was all stuff I envisioned being around for - being able to plan a scandalous bachelorette, and stand for her on the big day; and love the crap out of that white baby who'd call me Aunt Kirsten and ask years later why I'm an Aunt when I'm obviously not related. I really had to fight back the tears, just as much as I have to as I relive in this blog. Obviously, I'm still hoping that God will be incredibly gracious and give me those windows of opportunity so that I don't miss any of these moments. Hope keeps me from crying.
Of course all of this makes me homesick because you think of everything and everyone you left behind. I miss playing my guitar and the drums, choosing song lists, training up new musicians and leaders. I miss the youth, the silly games, Stewart's exuberant voice and how he sometimes sounds like an American when he talks, the late Denny's nights, the rides with Rheanne (starting with hazard lights), the sneak embraces with Mackie. I miss small group with Eunice, Amber, Jackie, and Melissa - the delicious baking, the life lessons learned, the adult conversation (complete with the odd 4-letter word because sometimes they just pack the right punch). I'll miss retreats, picnics, grad banquets, baptisms, watching Karina & Amanda grow up, Liz, Maya, & Bailey transform. And that's just the NDEFC stuff!!!!! What about the monthly dinners with Candice, the weekly dinners with grandma & Alison, the brunches, the Cousins Nights, the moneyshot shirts, the naps, the pillow talk, the perogy place, the DQ runs, the BackCheck outings, the CANUCK GAMES!?!?!?!
I have a new mistress and her name is Medicine. I'm her's for as long as I can commit. The passion I have for her hasn't relented over years of failed attempts and holding patterns, but the love I have for her hasn't come close to even half the love I have for all I left behind. I know that will change over time, and I'm sure these feelings right now come with the territory of Week 1 being over. I'll form relationships here and I'll have connectedness here and it will fill some of the void. I know. We're early in the game and these are the normal feelings to endure at this point. I can do this. I know.
I know - "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"
*I left out Raffi Torres because he was a Canuck for just one season, plus, he scares me
Anyways, classes have started and work has piled up considerably. For first semester, all lectures take place at the Annex, which happens to be a three minute walk from my apartment. I'll try looking for a different apartment next semester when classes are at the main campus (which is about a 15 minute walk from home right now). Class ended at noon on Monday. I went home to eat lunch then headed to main campus for the first PAcE session from 1-2. The PAcE (Progressive Academic Education) program involves doing an individual quiz for 30 minutes, a group quiz for another 30, and then discussing matters with faculty for an hour. The meetings aren't regular and are sometimes during lectures, so PAcE students have access to Mediasite from home. Mediasite is an online database where all the lectures have been recorded. It's actually pretty cool. The first quiz is next Wednesday. After PAcE, I went to the library and spent the next 4 hours there reviewing and prepping for Tuesday. Most of the material was manageable, though learning all the details of the superficial and deep back muscles are proving to be difficult. I think I need to take it one muscle at a time or else I'll keep hitting a wall everytime I consider a specific category of back muscles. Go through each muscle, and then I'm sure I'll clue into the trends and figure out why some are grouped a certain way.
Tuesday lectures went from 8-2 with an hour break from 12-1 for lunch. After the last lecture, I headed down to the library where I parked myself in a cubicle for 5 hours, decided I should probably eat, went to the Shacks to get some grub, ate said grub, and returned to the library. It feels good to know that I don't have a problem studying for extended periods of time. If anything, time passes too quickly. You review the lectures you had that day, create a study product for them by condensing down the info and pulling out the main points, then prep for lectures the next day by reading the lecture slides and the recommended texts. Lots to do!
Wednesday was more of the same, lecture wise. After class, I headed to IGA to get some groceries (I couldn't eat my giant bag of Honey Nut flavoured O-rings before the ants got to it, so sad) then came home to a clean apartment. Monday was a Dominican holiday so the cleaning schedule was bumped. Couldn't find anything to take issue with this time, so no need to bring up the things that happened last Tuesday. Headed to the library to study until ~6. There was the club fair going on from 5-7 at the CAC. I signed up for the Ross Christian Fellowship club, which runs the church I attended on Sunday. They have Bible Study and Prayer Meeting once a week. I asked about small groups, and they don't officially organize them, but they have been known to pop up every now and then. There were other organizations that involved exposure to clinical settings. I signed up for a couple of them. Oh and I signed up for the Canadian Student Society. Didn't get an explanation of what events would happen or what it does, but I figured it's Canadian, what's the worst that could happen? Be forced to sing all of Roch Voisine's singles whilst playing hockey, eating some Timmy Ho's, and saying "Sorry" or "Je m'excuse" every 1.6 kilometers? I'm Canadian, I can deal with it.
On that note, I've been keeping up with the NHL playoffs and admittedly, the Eastern Conference is proving to be more interesting and has been for nearly the entirety of the postseason. No close series at all in the West, but the East is full of grit and hard fought lengthy series. I'm cheering for New Jersey and Phoenix. Jersey because a declining Martin Brodeur deserves it. Phoenix because a team that endures constant instability, and is equipped with former Canucks (Aucoin and oooooooo Taylor Pyatt*) really deserves it.
While checking out the clubs, Ninja Kim, used his said ninja skills and appeared out of nowhere again. We ran into Angela and Yezi and decided we'd have dinner together. I brought my dinner and stored it in the campus fridges so I grabbed it and headed to Shwarma .....something. Shwarma Marma? Shwarma King? One of them is a restaurant across the street from campus, and one of them is from Modern Family. I can't remember which is which. Anyways, we went there so Kim and Angela could get their shwarma on. Then we headed to Angela's apartment, which is next door to Yezi's and we all ate there. Then all of us, except Yezi, studied in Jenner Hall (aka "the barn") to continue studying.
Thursday proved to be fairly uneventful. Called home to sort out some BC Student Aid details and spoke to mom. It's Mother's Day this weekend and all her children have flown the coop. Justin's in Prince Rupert, Gavin's in New York, and if you don't know where I am, you don't deserve to read this blog. Hopefully, someone at church will give her a carnation on Sunday, make their eyes squinty, and sarcastically say "Happy Mother's Day, Mom!". Maybe give a side hug or a reaching hug over a chair, with two blessing pats. It'll be like one of us were doing it, I swear.
Friday lectures weren't about science at all, just more along the lines of orientation again. We learned about what to expect in our simulation labs, what's tested, what to wear, and the competencies of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. We watched a video made in the 80's about how a dog received better healthcare than a human being. Moral of the story, if you believe in reincarnation, hope you come back as a golden retriever by the name of "Max", if you don't believe in reincarnation, I'm sorry you're not a golden retriever by the name of "Max".
It all ended around 10:30. I went home, relaxed, ate lunch, showered, and got ready for the White Coat ceremony. Put on my green dress, heeled sandals, and accessorized with the long necklace my cousin, Alison, gave me before I left (FYI-our last night before I left ranks in my top 5). Diana and I walked down to the St. James Centre together. The sun and wind were out in full force. We tried our best to go Asian and use our umbrellas but the wind kept inverting them. So by the time we got to the Centre, our hair was messed up and our faces were shimmering with sweat. We went straight to the restrooms where other ladies were in the same scenario and we made the best of it. The ceremony was lengthy starting with the Dominican and American national anthems (man, I miss Canada), introductions to all the various faculty, speakers, graduates, and the Prime Minister of Dominica (yeah, Ross is a big deal here), and then a bunch of speeches. Turns out our PM here is the youngest PM to be elected in the world and he's currently the youngest in the Western Hemisphere. We were given various stats about our class. There are only 17 Canadians and about 12 of them are from Ontario. So finding another BC-er, let alone the other Canadians, will prove to be difficult, unless they all signed up for the Canadian club. There are normally more Canadians and more females, but our class proves to be the exception to both trends. 58% are male. Word's been getting around that we're one of the most polite classes so far, which is quite complimentary. Hopefully, we'll keep it up.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Denise Infante, a Ross 2000 grad, practicing pediatrician. She told us about her journey. At one point she said "You'll miss friends' weddings, the birth of their children, people's funerals..." and immediately people come to mind and it kinda crushed me. I don't expect people to accommodate my goals into their plans, but it's tough when you have a close friend who plans on getting married and another that is planning for parenthood within the next four years. This was all stuff I envisioned being around for - being able to plan a scandalous bachelorette, and stand for her on the big day; and love the crap out of that white baby who'd call me Aunt Kirsten and ask years later why I'm an Aunt when I'm obviously not related. I really had to fight back the tears, just as much as I have to as I relive in this blog. Obviously, I'm still hoping that God will be incredibly gracious and give me those windows of opportunity so that I don't miss any of these moments. Hope keeps me from crying.
Of course all of this makes me homesick because you think of everything and everyone you left behind. I miss playing my guitar and the drums, choosing song lists, training up new musicians and leaders. I miss the youth, the silly games, Stewart's exuberant voice and how he sometimes sounds like an American when he talks, the late Denny's nights, the rides with Rheanne (starting with hazard lights), the sneak embraces with Mackie. I miss small group with Eunice, Amber, Jackie, and Melissa - the delicious baking, the life lessons learned, the adult conversation (complete with the odd 4-letter word because sometimes they just pack the right punch). I'll miss retreats, picnics, grad banquets, baptisms, watching Karina & Amanda grow up, Liz, Maya, & Bailey transform. And that's just the NDEFC stuff!!!!! What about the monthly dinners with Candice, the weekly dinners with grandma & Alison, the brunches, the Cousins Nights, the moneyshot shirts, the naps, the pillow talk, the perogy place, the DQ runs, the BackCheck outings, the CANUCK GAMES!?!?!?!
I have a new mistress and her name is Medicine. I'm her's for as long as I can commit. The passion I have for her hasn't relented over years of failed attempts and holding patterns, but the love I have for her hasn't come close to even half the love I have for all I left behind. I know that will change over time, and I'm sure these feelings right now come with the territory of Week 1 being over. I'll form relationships here and I'll have connectedness here and it will fill some of the void. I know. We're early in the game and these are the normal feelings to endure at this point. I can do this. I know.
I know - "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"
*I left out Raffi Torres because he was a Canuck for just one season, plus, he scares me
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Potentially my last day of rest
It was glorious sleeping in and not being woken up by my alarm. Well rested, not sticky with sweat because it rained all night keeping the temperature down. Sunday's a good day. I lay in bed to enjoy the extra time I had before needing to get ready for church. I put on a somewhat Sunday best...ok it was white capri pants and a nice blouse. Wasn't sure how dress code worked here. In Haiti, every one shows up in their Sunday best and I wasn't sure if this church was just for University students or if it was open to the community. Well I found out quickly that it's for Ross folk and I was overdressed. Good to know for next week that whether I go to church here or at NDEFC, I could get away with anything (unless it's the Christmas Eve service, I have to get all fancy for that one and do the "Yes, I own many dresses" conversation)
This Sunday we were out on the upper seaside deck as check-in was happening at the CAC for upperclass students. For the future Sundays we'll be in the a/c'd confines of the 2nd floor. There was a keyboardist and the worship leader playing a 3/4 length acoustic with plastic strings. In case you were curious, I didn't bring my good guitar down with me, and I'm very comfortable with that decision. I don't think it'd cope with the moisture in the air. They sang a couple songs that I didn't know and a couple I did know, "Blessed Be Your Name" and "Jesus All for Jesus" (they do the awkwardly long pause between the first two lines). The worship leader is the "pastor's" son. Some things never change regardless of where you go or when you go. There's always a pastor's kid or a pastor being a worship leader. The pastor, looked like he'd be hitting the b-ball courts after service. In a sleeveless Nike quick dry top and shorts, he presented John 3 to the congregation.
I didn't see Rachel. Hopefully I'll see her throughout the week and can let her know about the church in case she didn't know. I met a first semester student named Chris, who of course is from Florida as well. So many people are from Florida or Texas. I still have yet to find another BC-er. We had lunch together at campus and talked about our background and how much the MCAT sucks, especially the verbal reasoning section. Oh by the way, the service was like 45 minutes long. I was confused that when it ended, it wasn't an intermission. They've got various things that take place throughout the week, but didn't really articulate them well. So I'll need to look into that.
After lunch I headed home. Diana texted me to ask when I was going to campus to prep for tomorrow. I told her 12:30 which is about when I'd be home. She still needed to eat and get ready so I had a little downtime at home. Then we went to the library and got down to business. Janos and Dimal were there as well. I went through the lecture slides and read the textbook a bit. Took a few breaks here and there to fill my water bottle, empty the bladder, and check on the NHL. What the heck is going on in the Western Conference??? Such short series! I'm sure there's a record we're breaking this season.
Anyways, 6pm rolled around and we decided using hand signals and mouthed words that we'd leave 'cause our stomachs weren't being as quiet as our communication. Tomorrow is a holiday, so all the stores will be closed even though we still have class, meaning buy your groceries and top up your meter. I checked how much I still had on my meter and I have plenty, which made me happy. In the past week I've used about $16EC worth of electricity. At that rate, I won't be running out of electricity 'til about 6 weeks from now. I'm definitely pleased with myself. I don't use the a/c anymore, I rarely use the fan, I keep the lights off most of the time, I use my laptop battery at home and charge it at school. The only thing that takes up the most electricity is the fridge, and I'm fine with that. I don't want to change the settings and risk spoiling my food. So if all goes to plan and I have a roommate next semester, my living expenses should decrease significantly, assuming I don't live with someone who isn't frugal.
Looking forward to classes starting tomorrow. I'm actually very excited to get the show on the road. While we were talking at the Cinqo de Mayo party yesterday, I realized that our time on the island is done by Aug 2013 which is so much sooner than I thought. Of course, I won't be back in BC other than for a visit, but it'll be pretty awesome to be in the States and have the "comforts" of home readily available. My parents will be pleased when I unload them of the rest of my wardrobe then. How I miss my toques and my Canucks jersey. The only sweater I brought is my grey hoodie with new elbow patches thanks to Bailey. All the other warm stuff and the remnants left behind of my summer gear remain in the Lower Mainland.
Anyways, time to get to bed. Big day tomorrow. Long days and fewer blog posts ahead. It's been fun keeping this up to date, but I guarantee you, it won't be daily anymore. You can assume that some things will remain constant; the DJ crew, ninja Kim, DB Chad, and missing dinners with Grandma. I'll be sure to let you know if anything new worth noting comes up :)
This Sunday we were out on the upper seaside deck as check-in was happening at the CAC for upperclass students. For the future Sundays we'll be in the a/c'd confines of the 2nd floor. There was a keyboardist and the worship leader playing a 3/4 length acoustic with plastic strings. In case you were curious, I didn't bring my good guitar down with me, and I'm very comfortable with that decision. I don't think it'd cope with the moisture in the air. They sang a couple songs that I didn't know and a couple I did know, "Blessed Be Your Name" and "Jesus All for Jesus" (they do the awkwardly long pause between the first two lines). The worship leader is the "pastor's" son. Some things never change regardless of where you go or when you go. There's always a pastor's kid or a pastor being a worship leader. The pastor, looked like he'd be hitting the b-ball courts after service. In a sleeveless Nike quick dry top and shorts, he presented John 3 to the congregation.
I didn't see Rachel. Hopefully I'll see her throughout the week and can let her know about the church in case she didn't know. I met a first semester student named Chris, who of course is from Florida as well. So many people are from Florida or Texas. I still have yet to find another BC-er. We had lunch together at campus and talked about our background and how much the MCAT sucks, especially the verbal reasoning section. Oh by the way, the service was like 45 minutes long. I was confused that when it ended, it wasn't an intermission. They've got various things that take place throughout the week, but didn't really articulate them well. So I'll need to look into that.
After lunch I headed home. Diana texted me to ask when I was going to campus to prep for tomorrow. I told her 12:30 which is about when I'd be home. She still needed to eat and get ready so I had a little downtime at home. Then we went to the library and got down to business. Janos and Dimal were there as well. I went through the lecture slides and read the textbook a bit. Took a few breaks here and there to fill my water bottle, empty the bladder, and check on the NHL. What the heck is going on in the Western Conference??? Such short series! I'm sure there's a record we're breaking this season.
Anyways, 6pm rolled around and we decided using hand signals and mouthed words that we'd leave 'cause our stomachs weren't being as quiet as our communication. Tomorrow is a holiday, so all the stores will be closed even though we still have class, meaning buy your groceries and top up your meter. I checked how much I still had on my meter and I have plenty, which made me happy. In the past week I've used about $16EC worth of electricity. At that rate, I won't be running out of electricity 'til about 6 weeks from now. I'm definitely pleased with myself. I don't use the a/c anymore, I rarely use the fan, I keep the lights off most of the time, I use my laptop battery at home and charge it at school. The only thing that takes up the most electricity is the fridge, and I'm fine with that. I don't want to change the settings and risk spoiling my food. So if all goes to plan and I have a roommate next semester, my living expenses should decrease significantly, assuming I don't live with someone who isn't frugal.
Looking forward to classes starting tomorrow. I'm actually very excited to get the show on the road. While we were talking at the Cinqo de Mayo party yesterday, I realized that our time on the island is done by Aug 2013 which is so much sooner than I thought. Of course, I won't be back in BC other than for a visit, but it'll be pretty awesome to be in the States and have the "comforts" of home readily available. My parents will be pleased when I unload them of the rest of my wardrobe then. How I miss my toques and my Canucks jersey. The only sweater I brought is my grey hoodie with new elbow patches thanks to Bailey. All the other warm stuff and the remnants left behind of my summer gear remain in the Lower Mainland.
Anyways, time to get to bed. Big day tomorrow. Long days and fewer blog posts ahead. It's been fun keeping this up to date, but I guarantee you, it won't be daily anymore. You can assume that some things will remain constant; the DJ crew, ninja Kim, DB Chad, and missing dinners with Grandma. I'll be sure to let you know if anything new worth noting comes up :)
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Grrrr Argh!
For any Joss Whedon fans out there, you'll know exactly what my title stems from and that it's not derived from immense frustration. I checked out rottentomatoes.com for the critics' opinions on The Avengers which was directed and co-written by Joss Whedon. I've been a fan of Joss' work since high school. He has the ability to channel dry wit, action scenes, and immense drama all in an hour-long episode. Furthermore, he's a musical genius. He's created a musical episode for the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series. It's the only season of Buffy I own and it's just because it has the musical episode. Not gonna lie, it's better than the Scrubs musical episode. So much better. Then he teamed up with wonderful folks like Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion to create "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog" during the time of the writer's strike. They put together this three-part out of pocket masterpiece and gave it away for free to viewers online. Brilliant! So back to rottentomatoes. Joss finally gets the opportunity to show off his skills in a huge Hollywood blockbuster and based off what I've read, he rose to the challenge. So happy for him!
Also along the lines of tapping into what's happening in the underground world, I thoroughly enjoyed this TED talk from Tavi Gevinson, a 15 year old girl wise and articulate beyond her years. TED is full of great videos.
Anyways, you're probably hoping that I'll talk about me and my time here or how I feel given last night's festivities. Well here we go...
I hit the bed just past 1am and the alarm went off at 6:30. I've done worse whenever a Cousins Night preceded a Sunday morning where I had to either lead or play an instrument. I got out of bed and pain shot up my right leg. I had bashed my ankle against the boat back when we went down Indian river. I guess it's taking a while to recover and the dancing last night didn't help. It was sore to touch and sore to walk. I hobbled around to get changed and headed towards the main campus gate to meet Janos and Dimal to take a taxi to the Portsmouth Market. It was pretty quick trip. We knew what we wanted. I wanted bananas, spinach, and coconut water. Janos wanted cassava root and onions. Dimal wanted to see the market. We took a taxi back to campus and I was home by about 8:00. I ate breakfast, did my devotional, got changed and headed back to campus for yoga. It was my first official yoga session and it was wonderful. I'll definitely be doing that again, especially since it's free. Diana and Janos were there as well. We all headed to IGA to pick up supplies for the Cinqo de Mayo party that Candice is hosting. I didn't have my wallet so I knew I'd need to come back. I carried some of Diana's groceries as we headed home and we made plans to shower up, change, and head back to campus to do some prep work for school. Lots of walking, but it's good seeing as how I don't know if I'll make time for working out at the gym.
We went to the library where there's a huge room filled with cubicles for students to work in quiet. I did some reading from textbooks and also created a schedule on Google Calendars to highlight various exams, labs, demos, PAcE sessions, etc. that fall outside standard lecture hours. The beauty of Google Calendar is that it syncs up with the calendar app on my HTC smartphone. So I'll have my schedule with me all the time and reminding me of these appointments I need to make. After that, I downloaded lecture notes and organized the folders on my hard drive. Definitely felt very productive. Diana took off 'cause she was feeling hungry. Around 4pm, Janos texted me to let me know to arrive at Candice's between 5-5:30. I hadn't bought my supplies yet, and therefore hadn't cooked them either. So I rushed to IGA, bought tortilla shells, ground chicken, taco sauce, and cheese, headed home, cooked the chicken, put it in some tupperware, put everything in my Ross thermo-bag and walked to Candice's. I was pretty sweaty by the time I arrived, but Candice had plenty of ice to make my cup of water refreshing. She had made rice, cooked up ground beef and green peppers. Janos prepared a spicy black bean dish to serve as a vegetarian substitute for taco meat, or in my case, an awesome sidekick to my normal taco. It was a delicious meal! Kat and Dimal were there, and some of Candice's friends were in attendance as well: NIna, Malini, Cody, and Joey (New Yoirk, Joey). Diana joined us a while later as she had to wait for her clean laundry to be delivered.
Fun discussions took place, stomachs were satisfied, and I was yawning at 7:30. Everybody had either slept in or taken a nap during the day, except for me. It was around 10:15 when the crew decided to head out with the majority heading to Champs. Dimal and I went home. I just don't have the energy to keep up with their partying ways. Dimal's got a similar take as well. Neither of us drank tonight, but we still had a great time.
Anyways, I'm tired once again, and am so excited for church tomorrow, which starts at 10:30 by the way. You jealous NDEFC? Haha who am I kidding, you guys show up when you want anyways. Believe me I know. I've got the best spot on stage to see you arrive late. I also just found out that youth group got switched to Tuesdays while soccer season is on. Hope that's going well and makes for shorter nights and fewer trips to Denny's (I'm sure Friday night management misses you)
Also along the lines of tapping into what's happening in the underground world, I thoroughly enjoyed this TED talk from Tavi Gevinson, a 15 year old girl wise and articulate beyond her years. TED is full of great videos.
Anyways, you're probably hoping that I'll talk about me and my time here or how I feel given last night's festivities. Well here we go...
I hit the bed just past 1am and the alarm went off at 6:30. I've done worse whenever a Cousins Night preceded a Sunday morning where I had to either lead or play an instrument. I got out of bed and pain shot up my right leg. I had bashed my ankle against the boat back when we went down Indian river. I guess it's taking a while to recover and the dancing last night didn't help. It was sore to touch and sore to walk. I hobbled around to get changed and headed towards the main campus gate to meet Janos and Dimal to take a taxi to the Portsmouth Market. It was pretty quick trip. We knew what we wanted. I wanted bananas, spinach, and coconut water. Janos wanted cassava root and onions. Dimal wanted to see the market. We took a taxi back to campus and I was home by about 8:00. I ate breakfast, did my devotional, got changed and headed back to campus for yoga. It was my first official yoga session and it was wonderful. I'll definitely be doing that again, especially since it's free. Diana and Janos were there as well. We all headed to IGA to pick up supplies for the Cinqo de Mayo party that Candice is hosting. I didn't have my wallet so I knew I'd need to come back. I carried some of Diana's groceries as we headed home and we made plans to shower up, change, and head back to campus to do some prep work for school. Lots of walking, but it's good seeing as how I don't know if I'll make time for working out at the gym.
We went to the library where there's a huge room filled with cubicles for students to work in quiet. I did some reading from textbooks and also created a schedule on Google Calendars to highlight various exams, labs, demos, PAcE sessions, etc. that fall outside standard lecture hours. The beauty of Google Calendar is that it syncs up with the calendar app on my HTC smartphone. So I'll have my schedule with me all the time and reminding me of these appointments I need to make. After that, I downloaded lecture notes and organized the folders on my hard drive. Definitely felt very productive. Diana took off 'cause she was feeling hungry. Around 4pm, Janos texted me to let me know to arrive at Candice's between 5-5:30. I hadn't bought my supplies yet, and therefore hadn't cooked them either. So I rushed to IGA, bought tortilla shells, ground chicken, taco sauce, and cheese, headed home, cooked the chicken, put it in some tupperware, put everything in my Ross thermo-bag and walked to Candice's. I was pretty sweaty by the time I arrived, but Candice had plenty of ice to make my cup of water refreshing. She had made rice, cooked up ground beef and green peppers. Janos prepared a spicy black bean dish to serve as a vegetarian substitute for taco meat, or in my case, an awesome sidekick to my normal taco. It was a delicious meal! Kat and Dimal were there, and some of Candice's friends were in attendance as well: NIna, Malini, Cody, and Joey (New Yoirk, Joey). Diana joined us a while later as she had to wait for her clean laundry to be delivered.
Fun discussions took place, stomachs were satisfied, and I was yawning at 7:30. Everybody had either slept in or taken a nap during the day, except for me. It was around 10:15 when the crew decided to head out with the majority heading to Champs. Dimal and I went home. I just don't have the energy to keep up with their partying ways. Dimal's got a similar take as well. Neither of us drank tonight, but we still had a great time.
Anyways, I'm tired once again, and am so excited for church tomorrow, which starts at 10:30 by the way. You jealous NDEFC? Haha who am I kidding, you guys show up when you want anyways. Believe me I know. I've got the best spot on stage to see you arrive late. I also just found out that youth group got switched to Tuesdays while soccer season is on. Hope that's going well and makes for shorter nights and fewer trips to Denny's (I'm sure Friday night management misses you)
Friday, 4 May 2012
Holy F It's Friday!!
May the fourth be with you!! Such a fun date. It also marks the birthday of my friend Tania from BackCheck. We'd have a weekly tradition where we'd yell out "Holy F@*% it's Friday!" in celebration of the work week being over. We had other things we'd do together to keep morale up throughout the day. She's a good one, that Tania. If you're looking to sign up with BackCheck, request Tania to be your account coordinator. She took over my client accounts when I left and I know they're in good hands.
Anyways, today marked the end of Orientation. If you've been reading the posts throughout this week, you should be able to understand why I titled this post the way I did. And Caroline, I didn't technically use the word, you may have heard it, but I didn't type it. So I'm still safe...and I've probably already used that word and a few others in front of your children before, especially if they've been in my car...with Hillsong playing in the background. I'm sure you, dad, Mac, and Bai love me in spite of it. Courtenay loves me for it.
I wish I could say I learned something new today at orientation, but I'm pretty sure a lot of it was repetition. We had an alumnus come in and share his wisdom, then we had current students share their advice. The former graduate was pretty transparent. The current students were alright. I was secretly hoping someone would ask them what their grades are in the program so far, because they all had such different strategies and levels of motivation that you'd actually want to know who performs the best out of all of them. I've made up in my mind that the one who said he procrastinates, doesn't go to class, and doesn't do practice questions is the one who performs the worst. Coincidentally, he happens to be the DB from Sunday, so I may have some bias there. One of the students brought his wife and 7 year old daughter out here and he admitted that it's a good and bad kind of pressure. Essentially, if he fails, he fails big and screws over his family. So there's a good motivator in that, but if things get hard and stressful, it's a heavy burden to bear. I've got a lot of respect for the entire family there.
After orientation, the DJ crew and I headed to the bank to pick up our bank cards. Then Diana, Kat, and I went to IGA to get some groceries. There's a party going on at 10pm tonight at Riverside. At 7pm you can either watch Wanderlust or participate in Karaoke. The DJ crew is meeting up at Diana's to "get the engines revving" before the party. I haven't decided what my evening will look like yet. I know I'm heading to the Portsmouth market early tomorrow morning (~7am) to get some produce and then trying out a beginners session of yoga on campus at 9am. So we'll see...
So it's now 12:45am and I guess I should quickly tell you my day and then hit the hay. I opted to attend karaoke because a free meal would be involved. I went a bit early to put my scrubs, gloves, safety glasses, and dissection kit in my locker. Then I headed to the CAC where karaoke was just getting set up. I noticed that there's a phone on the third floor that everyone uses and this time it was unmanned. So I checked it out and turns out I can call home from there and not have to pay for it (though I'm sure my $16000/semester tuition covers that). I called my parents but it was 4pm their time so I got the machine. I left a rambling message because quite frankly, at this point, it's all about hearing the voice and less about the content of what's being said (especially since most of the content is posted on here). During the message, Kim came by. He had saved a seat for me. I joined him to find out that he had already signed up to sing. He asked me to record him so that he could send the video to his girlfriend. I laughed out loud and then realized he was serious. So here I was capturing Kim failing to reach the high notes from One Republic's "Good Life". The camera shaked with ill-contained laughter. There were some other great singers and great aspiring singers. Then Kim decided to sing another and once again I got to record it. Well, I challenge any of you to resist reacting when from the first measure, you discover the song he's picked is none other than Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me". God is so good, isn't he? Giving me a piece of Canada in a humorous way.
After seeing the same people go twice, I decided I'd like to join the DJ crew so I invited Kim and he was game. We stopped by my place so I could drop off my backpack and change and get my cups because Diana only had two. Then we made the long journey two doors down to Diana's. The crew were all there: Diana, Janos, Kat, Dimal, and then there was Candice and Tanja whom I met there. I introduced Kim and we all mingled. It was about 10:30 when we finished and headed to Riverside, which is basically a club. You walk through saying hi to the people you recognize and then you make your way to the floor because when music is playing, you dance. Halfway through, Kim took off saying he was tired. Caribbean weather is not conducive to marathon dancing, nor friendly to Macs which most disk jockeys use. After an hour of dancing, the music cut out and we saw smoke rise from the Apple product. We stuck around for another 30 minutes hoping the beats would return, but alas no fix was found and I was too sober to be able to put up with much more. Diana and I agreed we'd head home, I confirmed a meeting place for Janos and I for heading to the market in the morning, and then we left.
Another shower later and I'm sitting at the desk finishing this post. So there you have it, my first complete week on the island. Fun times had by all, fun times still ahead, but mostly work. Looking forward to the work.
Anyways, today marked the end of Orientation. If you've been reading the posts throughout this week, you should be able to understand why I titled this post the way I did. And Caroline, I didn't technically use the word, you may have heard it, but I didn't type it. So I'm still safe...and I've probably already used that word and a few others in front of your children before, especially if they've been in my car...with Hillsong playing in the background. I'm sure you, dad, Mac, and Bai love me in spite of it. Courtenay loves me for it.
I wish I could say I learned something new today at orientation, but I'm pretty sure a lot of it was repetition. We had an alumnus come in and share his wisdom, then we had current students share their advice. The former graduate was pretty transparent. The current students were alright. I was secretly hoping someone would ask them what their grades are in the program so far, because they all had such different strategies and levels of motivation that you'd actually want to know who performs the best out of all of them. I've made up in my mind that the one who said he procrastinates, doesn't go to class, and doesn't do practice questions is the one who performs the worst. Coincidentally, he happens to be the DB from Sunday, so I may have some bias there. One of the students brought his wife and 7 year old daughter out here and he admitted that it's a good and bad kind of pressure. Essentially, if he fails, he fails big and screws over his family. So there's a good motivator in that, but if things get hard and stressful, it's a heavy burden to bear. I've got a lot of respect for the entire family there.
After orientation, the DJ crew and I headed to the bank to pick up our bank cards. Then Diana, Kat, and I went to IGA to get some groceries. There's a party going on at 10pm tonight at Riverside. At 7pm you can either watch Wanderlust or participate in Karaoke. The DJ crew is meeting up at Diana's to "get the engines revving" before the party. I haven't decided what my evening will look like yet. I know I'm heading to the Portsmouth market early tomorrow morning (~7am) to get some produce and then trying out a beginners session of yoga on campus at 9am. So we'll see...
So it's now 12:45am and I guess I should quickly tell you my day and then hit the hay. I opted to attend karaoke because a free meal would be involved. I went a bit early to put my scrubs, gloves, safety glasses, and dissection kit in my locker. Then I headed to the CAC where karaoke was just getting set up. I noticed that there's a phone on the third floor that everyone uses and this time it was unmanned. So I checked it out and turns out I can call home from there and not have to pay for it (though I'm sure my $16000/semester tuition covers that). I called my parents but it was 4pm their time so I got the machine. I left a rambling message because quite frankly, at this point, it's all about hearing the voice and less about the content of what's being said (especially since most of the content is posted on here). During the message, Kim came by. He had saved a seat for me. I joined him to find out that he had already signed up to sing. He asked me to record him so that he could send the video to his girlfriend. I laughed out loud and then realized he was serious. So here I was capturing Kim failing to reach the high notes from One Republic's "Good Life". The camera shaked with ill-contained laughter. There were some other great singers and great aspiring singers. Then Kim decided to sing another and once again I got to record it. Well, I challenge any of you to resist reacting when from the first measure, you discover the song he's picked is none other than Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me". God is so good, isn't he? Giving me a piece of Canada in a humorous way.
After seeing the same people go twice, I decided I'd like to join the DJ crew so I invited Kim and he was game. We stopped by my place so I could drop off my backpack and change and get my cups because Diana only had two. Then we made the long journey two doors down to Diana's. The crew were all there: Diana, Janos, Kat, Dimal, and then there was Candice and Tanja whom I met there. I introduced Kim and we all mingled. It was about 10:30 when we finished and headed to Riverside, which is basically a club. You walk through saying hi to the people you recognize and then you make your way to the floor because when music is playing, you dance. Halfway through, Kim took off saying he was tired. Caribbean weather is not conducive to marathon dancing, nor friendly to Macs which most disk jockeys use. After an hour of dancing, the music cut out and we saw smoke rise from the Apple product. We stuck around for another 30 minutes hoping the beats would return, but alas no fix was found and I was too sober to be able to put up with much more. Diana and I agreed we'd head home, I confirmed a meeting place for Janos and I for heading to the market in the morning, and then we left.
Another shower later and I'm sitting at the desk finishing this post. So there you have it, my first complete week on the island. Fun times had by all, fun times still ahead, but mostly work. Looking forward to the work.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Getting ready to get working
I slept through the night last night. Had a crazy dream that Rachael Pelat planned a surprise birthday for me and invited a much of people I didn't know. Definitely had a chuckle when I woke up. Despite sleeping through the night, I felt incredibly tired. I was finishing my yogurt when Diana knocked at the door and asked if I was ready. I was in my boxers, hadn't brushed my teeth or put in my contacts...so no, I wasn't ready. She took off and I slowly got ready and left.
Orientation today was all about wellness - physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. Some good stuff was said, but I was struggling to focus and keep my eyes open. I felt warmer than usual too. Not a day of orientation has gone by without at least three stupid questions being asked by students. It's painful. The good thing is that the majority of the class concurs. I've never been a supporter of the "There are no stupid questions" motto. I think especially in med school, we all expect better of each other and so we end up disappointed and frustrated when one of our classmates asks if faculty will give us a breakdown of exactly how many questions per subject will appear on the midterms (called Mini's) or final after they've told us that there will be 2 questions per hour of lecture on the Mini's and 0.75 questions per hour of lecture on the final. If you can't do the math, you've got some issues. If you can do the math but want things spoon fed to you, you've lost my respect. Admittedly, I'm not a patient person in general, but when I'm confronted with people who just don't want to work hard, I struggle to keep myself from ripping into them.
I'm blessed to be raised by a family that taught me the goodness in working hard and striving to succeed. I worked hard in school and it benefited me, providing some satisfaction. Then, I worked hard at BackCheck to benefit others and that type of work ethic has been incredibly personally rewarding. Even though it was a job that I knew I wasn't committed to staying at long term, I couldn't help but love my co-workers and want to bust my ass for them. It's the best kind of work I've ever poured myself into. It's the same attitude I had when I was involved in the Worship and Youth Ministry. You find these people that you love and you work alongside them, helping them as best as you can, and it's the most satisfying investment I've made. Obviously there were will challenging times, but even at the lowest points, I've never wanted to work so hard than ever before. I've been blessed by God putting people in my life that I love intensely and they aren't a perfect bunch, but I've never had any of them ask for everything to be delivered to them on a silver platter. They've all worked through adversity, never gave up, practiced hard, made it easy to love them. I only hope that I'd be able to see these "spoiled" types through Christ's eyes. If I loved them as intensely as I do the others, wouldn't it be better?
After orientation, I did a quick tour through the simulation labs filled with interactive dummies. It should be fun to perform compressions on a life size Ken doll. After that, I headed home for lunch and to lay down for a bit. Then I got a call from Kim informing me that the vendor fair had free stuff and I should come out before it's all gone. The fair ran from 1-3. He called me at 1:27. I told him I'd be there in 20, lay in bed a little longer, then headed back out. The vendor fair was an opportunity for various laundry services, restaurants, spas, taxi services, etc to get their name out there. I was constantly being handed brochures and business cards. I got a free tube of toothpaste and some samples of pastries and bubble tea (not even close to bubble tea). I didn't like the crowds and that it was outside, so Kim and I headed to the CAC to have a locker assigned to us. Ahhh A/C, such a beautiful thing. Angela and Yezi were there too. They seemed to be as tired and hot as I was, which was comforting since I was worried that my thyroid wasn't responding to the tapazole I've been taking. We chilled out in the CAC for a good hour or so before heading out to put locks on our lockers. Our lockers are close to the post office where we pick up our textbooks that we've ordered. So I picked up my box, which weighed a tonne. Angela, Yezi, and I headed to the library to unpack the box and make sure everything was there. The box was filled 50% with supplies and 50% with packing peanuts. I threw out the peanuts hoping the weight would decrease significantly...haha. We put the heavier books in my backpack and the lighter ones in the box, muled up, and walked home. I passed by Rachel on the way out of campus. We said hi but I really couldn't stop to chat. By the time I reached home, my clothes were soaked. I was disgusting. So of course, I do the strip and shower routine as per usual.
Kim, Angela, Yezi, and I made dinner plans to go to Champs as they were having a special on cheeseburgers tonight $10EC. I thought we were going to meet at 6 on campus but when I called to ask where they were, Kim told me the meet time was 6:30. So I headed to the library for the A/C and to look at books. Who should I see but Rachel again. We chuckled, waved, and carried on. We've been doing this a lot since Monday, but we haven't had a conversation since Monday. I've got to follow up on that and make sure I put in the time, because quite frankly I haven't. Finally 6:30 rolls around and I meet up with the crew around 6:45 and it's not just them but a couple others as well, Melby and Kim's suitemate whose name continually escapes me...Hashid? Champs is located at the top of the hill, which makes for a grueling hike. They have a taxi service driving patrons from campus up to the restaurant. I don't know why I didn't use it. We arrived out of breath and sweaty and Champs isn't air conditioned. Kim's from NYC and his restaurant demeanour reflects that. He gets impatient and sticks his outstretched arm in the air to flag down the server. I told him that he needs to get used to Caribbean time and service and that it can be a bit disrespectful to do the wave thing. He essentially said that it works for him in NYC and that he gets service faster when he does it, so it should work here too. The waitress came by as friendly as the people are here asked how we were and if we'd like something to drink. I asked for a water and the rest put in their order. Kim then said that we're all ready to order our dinner, assuming that she'd take the order, but she said "Ok, I'll be back with your drinks then". Kim was frustrated by this, but it's a cultural thing. No need to rush. She's going to get us our drinks and then take our dinner order and that's how that goes. The pace is slow and steady and you need to learn to appreciate it, because there's really no where else we need to be, especially this week. It's a concept that hasn't sunk in or made a dent in Kim's head yet. Hopefully he'll get there, or else he'll just continue being an ass and I won't be eating out with him anymore.
During the meal, the Americans ruled the conversation swapping stories and "advice". Angela and I were sitting next to each other and gave each other the odd look here and there as if to say "Oh Americans..." We'd offer little tidbits here and there but for the most part kept quiet. No need to add to the noise. We paid and then headed home.
It's been an exhausting day and sleep seems so sweet right now. Hard to believe that tomorrow is Friday and that classes start next Monday. I'm excited and nervous. Honestly, right now I'm looking forward to Sunday to go to church. I'm passing on going on an all day island tour so that I can have some time with other Christians. I'm really missing that right now. It's been tough to sort through all these interactions and relationships to figure out if these are the types of crowds I should be spending my time with, which is why I feel so guilty about Rachel. It's as if I know she's good to go so I should see who else is out there. But the fact is we found each other a month before getting here, encouraged each other, and now our interaction is minimal and there's something off about that. I feel like now that we're faced with the stresses of the island and school starting, I should be more supportive and communicative. I'll pray about it and try to make a more purposeful effort with her. But right now I need rest, desperately.
Orientation today was all about wellness - physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. Some good stuff was said, but I was struggling to focus and keep my eyes open. I felt warmer than usual too. Not a day of orientation has gone by without at least three stupid questions being asked by students. It's painful. The good thing is that the majority of the class concurs. I've never been a supporter of the "There are no stupid questions" motto. I think especially in med school, we all expect better of each other and so we end up disappointed and frustrated when one of our classmates asks if faculty will give us a breakdown of exactly how many questions per subject will appear on the midterms (called Mini's) or final after they've told us that there will be 2 questions per hour of lecture on the Mini's and 0.75 questions per hour of lecture on the final. If you can't do the math, you've got some issues. If you can do the math but want things spoon fed to you, you've lost my respect. Admittedly, I'm not a patient person in general, but when I'm confronted with people who just don't want to work hard, I struggle to keep myself from ripping into them.
I'm blessed to be raised by a family that taught me the goodness in working hard and striving to succeed. I worked hard in school and it benefited me, providing some satisfaction. Then, I worked hard at BackCheck to benefit others and that type of work ethic has been incredibly personally rewarding. Even though it was a job that I knew I wasn't committed to staying at long term, I couldn't help but love my co-workers and want to bust my ass for them. It's the best kind of work I've ever poured myself into. It's the same attitude I had when I was involved in the Worship and Youth Ministry. You find these people that you love and you work alongside them, helping them as best as you can, and it's the most satisfying investment I've made. Obviously there were will challenging times, but even at the lowest points, I've never wanted to work so hard than ever before. I've been blessed by God putting people in my life that I love intensely and they aren't a perfect bunch, but I've never had any of them ask for everything to be delivered to them on a silver platter. They've all worked through adversity, never gave up, practiced hard, made it easy to love them. I only hope that I'd be able to see these "spoiled" types through Christ's eyes. If I loved them as intensely as I do the others, wouldn't it be better?
After orientation, I did a quick tour through the simulation labs filled with interactive dummies. It should be fun to perform compressions on a life size Ken doll. After that, I headed home for lunch and to lay down for a bit. Then I got a call from Kim informing me that the vendor fair had free stuff and I should come out before it's all gone. The fair ran from 1-3. He called me at 1:27. I told him I'd be there in 20, lay in bed a little longer, then headed back out. The vendor fair was an opportunity for various laundry services, restaurants, spas, taxi services, etc to get their name out there. I was constantly being handed brochures and business cards. I got a free tube of toothpaste and some samples of pastries and bubble tea (not even close to bubble tea). I didn't like the crowds and that it was outside, so Kim and I headed to the CAC to have a locker assigned to us. Ahhh A/C, such a beautiful thing. Angela and Yezi were there too. They seemed to be as tired and hot as I was, which was comforting since I was worried that my thyroid wasn't responding to the tapazole I've been taking. We chilled out in the CAC for a good hour or so before heading out to put locks on our lockers. Our lockers are close to the post office where we pick up our textbooks that we've ordered. So I picked up my box, which weighed a tonne. Angela, Yezi, and I headed to the library to unpack the box and make sure everything was there. The box was filled 50% with supplies and 50% with packing peanuts. I threw out the peanuts hoping the weight would decrease significantly...haha. We put the heavier books in my backpack and the lighter ones in the box, muled up, and walked home. I passed by Rachel on the way out of campus. We said hi but I really couldn't stop to chat. By the time I reached home, my clothes were soaked. I was disgusting. So of course, I do the strip and shower routine as per usual.
Kim, Angela, Yezi, and I made dinner plans to go to Champs as they were having a special on cheeseburgers tonight $10EC. I thought we were going to meet at 6 on campus but when I called to ask where they were, Kim told me the meet time was 6:30. So I headed to the library for the A/C and to look at books. Who should I see but Rachel again. We chuckled, waved, and carried on. We've been doing this a lot since Monday, but we haven't had a conversation since Monday. I've got to follow up on that and make sure I put in the time, because quite frankly I haven't. Finally 6:30 rolls around and I meet up with the crew around 6:45 and it's not just them but a couple others as well, Melby and Kim's suitemate whose name continually escapes me...Hashid? Champs is located at the top of the hill, which makes for a grueling hike. They have a taxi service driving patrons from campus up to the restaurant. I don't know why I didn't use it. We arrived out of breath and sweaty and Champs isn't air conditioned. Kim's from NYC and his restaurant demeanour reflects that. He gets impatient and sticks his outstretched arm in the air to flag down the server. I told him that he needs to get used to Caribbean time and service and that it can be a bit disrespectful to do the wave thing. He essentially said that it works for him in NYC and that he gets service faster when he does it, so it should work here too. The waitress came by as friendly as the people are here asked how we were and if we'd like something to drink. I asked for a water and the rest put in their order. Kim then said that we're all ready to order our dinner, assuming that she'd take the order, but she said "Ok, I'll be back with your drinks then". Kim was frustrated by this, but it's a cultural thing. No need to rush. She's going to get us our drinks and then take our dinner order and that's how that goes. The pace is slow and steady and you need to learn to appreciate it, because there's really no where else we need to be, especially this week. It's a concept that hasn't sunk in or made a dent in Kim's head yet. Hopefully he'll get there, or else he'll just continue being an ass and I won't be eating out with him anymore.
During the meal, the Americans ruled the conversation swapping stories and "advice". Angela and I were sitting next to each other and gave each other the odd look here and there as if to say "Oh Americans..." We'd offer little tidbits here and there but for the most part kept quiet. No need to add to the noise. We paid and then headed home.
It's been an exhausting day and sleep seems so sweet right now. Hard to believe that tomorrow is Friday and that classes start next Monday. I'm excited and nervous. Honestly, right now I'm looking forward to Sunday to go to church. I'm passing on going on an all day island tour so that I can have some time with other Christians. I'm really missing that right now. It's been tough to sort through all these interactions and relationships to figure out if these are the types of crowds I should be spending my time with, which is why I feel so guilty about Rachel. It's as if I know she's good to go so I should see who else is out there. But the fact is we found each other a month before getting here, encouraged each other, and now our interaction is minimal and there's something off about that. I feel like now that we're faced with the stresses of the island and school starting, I should be more supportive and communicative. I'll pray about it and try to make a more purposeful effort with her. But right now I need rest, desperately.
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
A Wednesday lived, and Wednesdays left behind
"If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm;
though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with
his hand. Psalm 37:23-24"
To be honest, I dreaded this day. Wednesday used to be a highlight in my week because it meant dinner with grandma and my cousin Alison - two wonderful women whom I love dearly and hold on to so tightly for so many reasons. It was a weekly tradition and I miss it very much. Without a doubt I miss NDEFC and the youth group, but there's a Christian Fellowship group out here at Ross. So I'll have a church. The youth group is irreplaceable, but I was just one leader of many. I didn't make up a third of the normal attendance like I did on Wednesdays. Around 5:30, I'd call grandma to figure out what she wanted to eat. When she was well and had all her teeth, it'd rotate between Vietnamese, Japanese, Red Robin, and Boston Pizza. Since her cancer treatment and the removal of all her molars (in preparation for dentures) the rotations has become Vietnamese soup, Japanese udon, Boston Pizza pasta, and Meinhardt's quiche. Alison and I would change things up for our dinners, throw in some Indian, Greek, the Mac Shack, and Burgoo into the mix for us. After figuring out what Grandma wanted, Alison and I would text back and forth to figure out what we wanted to eat, then I'd call in the order, pick up the food, pick up Alison, and then we'd eat it all at Grandma's, watch Jeopardy, and the game if the Nucks were playing. That was the routine and it was a beautiful routine and now it's gone with no substitute that would ever be sufficient. Right now, Alison will be calling Grandma to carry the routine on her own. Come end of August, Alison will take off to Ottawa to attend the journalism program at Carleton. Hopefully, Gavin and the rest of the family can keep up the weekly dinner dates with Grandma when that happens.
Orientation went as dryly as the days before. Diana and I walked together again. The PAcE info session was informative and I've signed up for the program. I can always opt out if it's not for me. By the time that was all done it was around 1pm. I was signed up for a boat trip down the Indian River for 2pm. So I headed home, cooked up a couple grilled cheese sandwiches. Scarfed them down, changed, applied sunscreen, and then headed back to campus to board the bus. It was a quick 8 minute drive and groups of 10 students boarded row boats and were taken on a guided tour down the Indian River.
The weather was kind to us and the trip was rocky at first but eventually smoothed out. Our boat was a fun crew. We learned about the various plants, trees, and ferns that lined the river. We also discovered that Pirates of the Caribbean "Dead Man's Chest" filmed here. During the tour, my phone started ringing, and I realized that I had missed a couple texts from Diana. Diana was calling me but I didn't want to interrupt the guide. So in the end I had a couple texts and a voicemail from Diana. The DJ crew was heading to the beach and she wanted to know if I wanted to join them. I quickly texted her that I was on the Indian River and all was well. At the end of the river, there's bar waiting for you with their famed Dynamite drink. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and others once ate and drank at this watering hole. That doesn't really appeal to me, but I was definitely intrigued by the drink so I ordered one. It came in a little plastic cup and after one sip, the alcohol hits you. I have no idea what liquor was in there, but I was informed that nutmeg, pepper, and cinnamon were among the other ingredients. It kept my insides very warm.
About 60% had one and we all struggled to sip away at it and finish. After a while, we were asked to get back on the boats and head back to the buses. We were pretty giddy during the trip back. I was very giddy and one of the things you inherit by being a Yip is a high tolerance for alcohol. So that Dynamite sure packed a punch in order for me to be tipsy.
After we got back to campus I headed to the CAC to refill my water bottle and relax in some A/C. While I was at it, I signed up for a whale watching tour a couple Saturdays from now. Chris from Dallas was there too and we chatted for a bit, watched some TV, refilled our water bottles, and relaxed/sobered up. Around 5:30, Kim came to the CAC to get a basketball. He encouraged me to join him and his roommate. I felt sober enough so I went to shoot some hoops. I somehow could only sink 3-pointers but nothing within the key to save my life. Kim moved like an aspiring Jeremy Lin. His roommate played like he'd never played basketball before, but of course irony being awesome, he won at a game of Horse. It was just after 6 when I decided I'd take off to refill the water bottle again and get home before the sun goes down. By the time I reached home, I realized how sweaty I was. I quickly ran downstairs to the landlord to pay May rent, then booked it to my suite to strip in record time and take a shower without turning the water off intermittently. It felt sooooo good. Then I cooked up some chicken and broccoli, ate, did the dishes, then sat in front of the fan 'cause I could feel the heat rising and I didn't want to get sweaty again.
I've been here almost a week and I wouldn't say I'm homesick or unhappy. I'm still coasting. But I read the verse that I pasted at the beginning and it gave me a lot of hope. I know once school starts and my free time dwindles (along with the blog posts), I'm going to struggle and "stumble". Knowing God and His character and the encouragement from His word, I know that however hard this gets, I'm going to be ok. Knowing I have an incredible support system in friends and family is just gravy. I like gravy.
To be honest, I dreaded this day. Wednesday used to be a highlight in my week because it meant dinner with grandma and my cousin Alison - two wonderful women whom I love dearly and hold on to so tightly for so many reasons. It was a weekly tradition and I miss it very much. Without a doubt I miss NDEFC and the youth group, but there's a Christian Fellowship group out here at Ross. So I'll have a church. The youth group is irreplaceable, but I was just one leader of many. I didn't make up a third of the normal attendance like I did on Wednesdays. Around 5:30, I'd call grandma to figure out what she wanted to eat. When she was well and had all her teeth, it'd rotate between Vietnamese, Japanese, Red Robin, and Boston Pizza. Since her cancer treatment and the removal of all her molars (in preparation for dentures) the rotations has become Vietnamese soup, Japanese udon, Boston Pizza pasta, and Meinhardt's quiche. Alison and I would change things up for our dinners, throw in some Indian, Greek, the Mac Shack, and Burgoo into the mix for us. After figuring out what Grandma wanted, Alison and I would text back and forth to figure out what we wanted to eat, then I'd call in the order, pick up the food, pick up Alison, and then we'd eat it all at Grandma's, watch Jeopardy, and the game if the Nucks were playing. That was the routine and it was a beautiful routine and now it's gone with no substitute that would ever be sufficient. Right now, Alison will be calling Grandma to carry the routine on her own. Come end of August, Alison will take off to Ottawa to attend the journalism program at Carleton. Hopefully, Gavin and the rest of the family can keep up the weekly dinner dates with Grandma when that happens.
Orientation went as dryly as the days before. Diana and I walked together again. The PAcE info session was informative and I've signed up for the program. I can always opt out if it's not for me. By the time that was all done it was around 1pm. I was signed up for a boat trip down the Indian River for 2pm. So I headed home, cooked up a couple grilled cheese sandwiches. Scarfed them down, changed, applied sunscreen, and then headed back to campus to board the bus. It was a quick 8 minute drive and groups of 10 students boarded row boats and were taken on a guided tour down the Indian River.
 | |
| And boom goes the dynamite |
After we got back to campus I headed to the CAC to refill my water bottle and relax in some A/C. While I was at it, I signed up for a whale watching tour a couple Saturdays from now. Chris from Dallas was there too and we chatted for a bit, watched some TV, refilled our water bottles, and relaxed/sobered up. Around 5:30, Kim came to the CAC to get a basketball. He encouraged me to join him and his roommate. I felt sober enough so I went to shoot some hoops. I somehow could only sink 3-pointers but nothing within the key to save my life. Kim moved like an aspiring Jeremy Lin. His roommate played like he'd never played basketball before, but of course irony being awesome, he won at a game of Horse. It was just after 6 when I decided I'd take off to refill the water bottle again and get home before the sun goes down. By the time I reached home, I realized how sweaty I was. I quickly ran downstairs to the landlord to pay May rent, then booked it to my suite to strip in record time and take a shower without turning the water off intermittently. It felt sooooo good. Then I cooked up some chicken and broccoli, ate, did the dishes, then sat in front of the fan 'cause I could feel the heat rising and I didn't want to get sweaty again.
I've been here almost a week and I wouldn't say I'm homesick or unhappy. I'm still coasting. But I read the verse that I pasted at the beginning and it gave me a lot of hope. I know once school starts and my free time dwindles (along with the blog posts), I'm going to struggle and "stumble". Knowing God and His character and the encouragement from His word, I know that however hard this gets, I'm going to be ok. Knowing I have an incredible support system in friends and family is just gravy. I like gravy.
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
A BBQ on the day of Tue
It rained all night. I was amazed to wake up at 7:30 and still hear the rainfall. Decided I was feeling a bit too sticky so I hopped in the shower which was surprisingly cold, probably because the evening was really cool to begin with. Grabbed a quick bowl of cereal with about half of the powdered milk I used yesterday to make it less creamy. I still need to find the right amount though 'cause it tasted a bit like water.
As I was leaving the apartment, the girl in #2 left at the same time. Her name is Diana, she's a first semester as well. Her boyfriend left yesterday and she's pretty sad about it. We walked to orientation together and sat together too where I saw Janos who knows Diana as well. We heard from the Dean, and other faculty about curriculum, professionalism, and the library. Pretty dry stuff. After orientation, I ran into Rachel and Kim utilized his ninja skills once again. Kim, his roommate, and I headed to IGA to grab some groceries. I got some bread and was going to get some margarine when I was showed the aisle that it was, right next to the jam, and peanut butter. So I opted out of the margarine. The bread cost $3.75 EC which is like $1.50US. Yogurt's $13EC, which is comparable to organic yogurt costs. But hey, I'm drinking powdered milk so that's where I'm cutting costs. Also, bananas are local produce here meaning they're cheap, so I'm not gonna lie, I've got it good here breakfast wise.
I got home and made myself a couple grilled cheese sandwiches when I heard a knock at the door. It was the maid asking if it was ok to come in and clean. So I let her in, we chatted a bit while I finished eating, and then I excused myself out. I felt like she wanted to clean in private so I headed back to campus. I went to the library to look around and then I went to the CAC to relax. They've got some large flat screen tvs on the third floor. You can borrow DVDs here and either watch them here or rent them for home. I was checking my email and a few students came by to watch Wedding Crashers. I forgot how inappropriately funny this movie is. Good laughs.
After the movie, I headed back home to a clean apartment...well clean-ish. She emptied my bathroom garbage but not my kitchen garbage. She moved my bed, which was odd. And I'm assuming she used my kitchen sponge to wipe down the other counters and surfaces, because I found it on top of my desk covered with a few ants feasting on the food bits stuck inside it. Had a little freak out and then proceed to kill the little buggers "I'm crushing your head! I'm crushing your head!". Then I took out the garbage and rewashed my desk to make sure there weren't any food remnants left on it. Hopefully next week will go better.
I lay on the bed for a few minutes, changed, and then headed back to the CAC for a BBQ. Janos was waiting at Diana's door so we all walked together, until I realized that I had forgotten my student ID. So they went on as I headed back home. This time on my way out, I crossed paths with Smruti. She's a first semester student from Tampa Bay. We walked to the BBQ together and ended up eating with each other too. Ninja Kim, found us in line for food and said a quick hello. Then I met some of Smruti's friends: Charleen, Ptumi, and others that obviously weren't memorable. I introduced her to Kim and his crew. I saw Rachel as well, but she was in conversation with another girl. I'm getting better with names, I swear. There's this young couple, Kate and Jesse, whom I see all the time and they seem to remember my name based off our frequent passings.
After chatting a little while, we all decided to head to the beach deck to watch the sunset. Unfortunately the clouds were covering the sun, but it was still very pretty. I met Angela from Toronto and Yezi (like Yahtzee, but Yehtzee) from LA. Both Asian, with their mothers in tow. Somewhere along the way, Smruti and her friends left and it was just four Asians chatting it up. Talked about family, Canada vs US in terms of health care, school clubs that we'll look to be a part of, and where we'd like to go for 5th semester and beyond. We missed the sun set and soon realized we were standing in the dark, when Angela's mother came up to us and said she wanted to go home. So we headed back to the CAC where I saw Diana, Janos, and their friends. Kim, Angela, and Yezi all live near each other in the opposite direction I live in and I wanted to make sure I walked home with people. So I joined the DJ crew and met Kat, Zack, and Demar. It was around 7:45 and the BBQ ends at 8.
The crew decided they'd like to hit up Tulips which is a bar close to campus. I figured, why not but I'm not drinking no piss beer. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to get to know them better. Diana is Cuban living in Miami, Kat is Russian living in New Jersey and she knows how to ballroom dance at a competitive level. There were quite a few people there and service is slow, but we'll get used to it. A lot of people smoke there and of course there's no laws like they have in Canada about smoking in public places, I don't want to get used to that. There's another bar called Champs further up the hill where similar crowds gather. I hear they have an awesome Sunday brunch for $10EC and crazy expensive Friday fine dining for $150EC. I'm interested in the brunch. We hung out at the tables outside to chat about TV shows we like, diet, and what rotations we really don't look forward too (OB GYN and Pediatrics). We also talked about the bulls that seem to be roaming around and their giant balls, which led us to talking about us performing prostate and hernia exams, which led to pap smears. Standard classy stuff. It started pouring rain which deterred us from leaving and encouraged the girls to get a couple more drinks. I'm still holding on to my money so one was enough for me. Finally the rain settled down and we left. Janos, Kat, and Demar live around the bar. Zack, Diana, and I live the other way. So we split up and headed home. As we entered our apartments, Diana and I coordinated our departure time for tomorrow. Looks like I've got myself a walking buddy :)
Showered again because if you felt my skin, you'd say "Good Lord, you feel disgusting!" I still have this train of thought that tells me to preserve water as if I were in Haiti. So I turn off the tap after I've gotten wet, then I'll lather, then rinse. Water's of no short supply here and is readily available for use, so I'm hoping I'll get over the guilt and shower with ease.
Tomorrow, orientation starts at 8:30 again. After there's an extra orientation for those invited into the PACE program, which I am invited too. It's for students who the faculty think are "advanced" enough to study at their own pace, with more faculty interaction and group problem-based learning discussions. I've heard mixed reviews about the program, so hopefully the orientation will help me decide whether I want to be a part of it or not. After the orientation, I'll be going on a boat trip down the Indian River. Should be fun.
I feel myself getting into the new routine as I get tired around 10pm. I feel like I'm coping with the heat much better as well. Much to be happy about right now
As I was leaving the apartment, the girl in #2 left at the same time. Her name is Diana, she's a first semester as well. Her boyfriend left yesterday and she's pretty sad about it. We walked to orientation together and sat together too where I saw Janos who knows Diana as well. We heard from the Dean, and other faculty about curriculum, professionalism, and the library. Pretty dry stuff. After orientation, I ran into Rachel and Kim utilized his ninja skills once again. Kim, his roommate, and I headed to IGA to grab some groceries. I got some bread and was going to get some margarine when I was showed the aisle that it was, right next to the jam, and peanut butter. So I opted out of the margarine. The bread cost $3.75 EC which is like $1.50US. Yogurt's $13EC, which is comparable to organic yogurt costs. But hey, I'm drinking powdered milk so that's where I'm cutting costs. Also, bananas are local produce here meaning they're cheap, so I'm not gonna lie, I've got it good here breakfast wise.
I got home and made myself a couple grilled cheese sandwiches when I heard a knock at the door. It was the maid asking if it was ok to come in and clean. So I let her in, we chatted a bit while I finished eating, and then I excused myself out. I felt like she wanted to clean in private so I headed back to campus. I went to the library to look around and then I went to the CAC to relax. They've got some large flat screen tvs on the third floor. You can borrow DVDs here and either watch them here or rent them for home. I was checking my email and a few students came by to watch Wedding Crashers. I forgot how inappropriately funny this movie is. Good laughs.
After the movie, I headed back home to a clean apartment...well clean-ish. She emptied my bathroom garbage but not my kitchen garbage. She moved my bed, which was odd. And I'm assuming she used my kitchen sponge to wipe down the other counters and surfaces, because I found it on top of my desk covered with a few ants feasting on the food bits stuck inside it. Had a little freak out and then proceed to kill the little buggers "I'm crushing your head! I'm crushing your head!". Then I took out the garbage and rewashed my desk to make sure there weren't any food remnants left on it. Hopefully next week will go better.
I lay on the bed for a few minutes, changed, and then headed back to the CAC for a BBQ. Janos was waiting at Diana's door so we all walked together, until I realized that I had forgotten my student ID. So they went on as I headed back home. This time on my way out, I crossed paths with Smruti. She's a first semester student from Tampa Bay. We walked to the BBQ together and ended up eating with each other too. Ninja Kim, found us in line for food and said a quick hello. Then I met some of Smruti's friends: Charleen, Ptumi, and others that obviously weren't memorable. I introduced her to Kim and his crew. I saw Rachel as well, but she was in conversation with another girl. I'm getting better with names, I swear. There's this young couple, Kate and Jesse, whom I see all the time and they seem to remember my name based off our frequent passings.
The crew decided they'd like to hit up Tulips which is a bar close to campus. I figured, why not but I'm not drinking no piss beer. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to get to know them better. Diana is Cuban living in Miami, Kat is Russian living in New Jersey and she knows how to ballroom dance at a competitive level. There were quite a few people there and service is slow, but we'll get used to it. A lot of people smoke there and of course there's no laws like they have in Canada about smoking in public places, I don't want to get used to that. There's another bar called Champs further up the hill where similar crowds gather. I hear they have an awesome Sunday brunch for $10EC and crazy expensive Friday fine dining for $150EC. I'm interested in the brunch. We hung out at the tables outside to chat about TV shows we like, diet, and what rotations we really don't look forward too (OB GYN and Pediatrics). We also talked about the bulls that seem to be roaming around and their giant balls, which led us to talking about us performing prostate and hernia exams, which led to pap smears. Standard classy stuff. It started pouring rain which deterred us from leaving and encouraged the girls to get a couple more drinks. I'm still holding on to my money so one was enough for me. Finally the rain settled down and we left. Janos, Kat, and Demar live around the bar. Zack, Diana, and I live the other way. So we split up and headed home. As we entered our apartments, Diana and I coordinated our departure time for tomorrow. Looks like I've got myself a walking buddy :)
Showered again because if you felt my skin, you'd say "Good Lord, you feel disgusting!" I still have this train of thought that tells me to preserve water as if I were in Haiti. So I turn off the tap after I've gotten wet, then I'll lather, then rinse. Water's of no short supply here and is readily available for use, so I'm hoping I'll get over the guilt and shower with ease.
Tomorrow, orientation starts at 8:30 again. After there's an extra orientation for those invited into the PACE program, which I am invited too. It's for students who the faculty think are "advanced" enough to study at their own pace, with more faculty interaction and group problem-based learning discussions. I've heard mixed reviews about the program, so hopefully the orientation will help me decide whether I want to be a part of it or not. After the orientation, I'll be going on a boat trip down the Indian River. Should be fun.
I feel myself getting into the new routine as I get tired around 10pm. I feel like I'm coping with the heat much better as well. Much to be happy about right now
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)